Simon Robert Tiffen: How police uncovered sex offenders sick act

WARNING: Graphic

A sex offender who filmed himself abusing a young boy aboard a ride-on lawnmower before police found the videos in a trove of child abuse material at his home has been jailed for his vile acts against his victim.

Simon Robert Tiffen, 64, on Wednesday learnt his fate inside Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court after he admitted to videoing the sick acts on the then three-year-old in April 2018.

The court was told that the northern beaches man recorded four videos over a 10-minute period in which he filmed himself lifting the child’s shorts and touching his genitalia.

The videos showed the boy standing between Tiffen’s legs on a ride-on lawnmower as Tiffen used his mobile phone to film himself abusing the boy, the court was told.

At one point Tiffen also exposed his penis and pressed it against the boy’s back for about 15 seconds, the court was told.

The videos weren’t uncovered until nearly two years later when officers raided Tiffen’s home and found them on a hard drive among a cache of other child abuse material.

He pleaded guilty to indecent assault of a person under 16 years, possessing child abuse material and producing child abuse material.

Judge Tim Gartelmann described Tiffen’s offending as “direct, invasive and persistent” that lasted several minutes.

“The offender must have done it for sexual gratification,” Judge Gartelmann said.

When police raided Tiffen’s property, officers found tens of thousands of pieces of child abuse material on several devices that depicted young victims in sexual activities and poses.

Officers also found file-sharing applications that Tiffen used to download the vile material.

When police arrested Tiffen, he denied any knowledge of the child abuse material or ever possessing it, the court was told.

Wearing prison greens and watching on via video link from prison, Tiffen did not react on Wednesday afternoon as he was sentenced by Judge Gartelmann.

He was sentenced to four years in prison, with a non-parole period of two years and eight months.

With time served, he will first be eligible for release in May 2025.

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