Wine scientist Simon Dillon filmed woman through her bathroom window, District Court told

A wine specialist and qualified scientist used stacked boxes or a ladder to film a woman getting out of the shower, a court has heard.

A wine specialist and qualified scientist used a ladder or stacked boxes to peer over a fence and film into a woman’s bathroom, a court has heard.

Simon Dillon, 51, who worked for the Australian Wine Research Institute, has pleaded guilty to a series of charges stemming from an undercover police operation in which he described his attraction to children as young as five to two different police officers.

He was identified through his online handle – ‘Shagpile 71’ – and a unique Persian rug which was identified in images Dillon sent and was later found in his home.

On Monday, Dillon appeared in the District Court for sentencing where he also pleaded guilty to a single charge of indecent filming of an adult.

Judge Anthony Allen heard that police had discovered the images and a seven-minute video of the woman in her bathroom while searching for more child exploitation material on Dillon’s phone.

Dillon’s victim read an impact statement to the court in which she said she only became aware of the filming when police knocked on her door in January this year.

However, she had spotted Dillon peering through her bathroom window before and confronted him about it.

Wine scientist Simon Dillon indecently filmed a woman getting out of the shower.

She told the court that Dillon had made up an excuse and she had not been aware she was being filmed.

“You’re sneaky and disgusting actions directed at me left me feeling violated and unsafe,” the victim told the court.

“I now keep that window closed. It was disturbing, I had believed it was a once off, the occasion I had caught you was not the only time you had been watching me.”

Tali Costi, prosecuting, told the court Dillon had been arrested on November 14, 2022 and had remained in custody since then.

When police analysed electronic devices in his home as well as two online cloud storage accounts in his name, they found thousands of images and hundreds of videos of child abuse.

Scott Roche, for Dillon, said his client accepted that the offending was “grotesque” and was “horrified” by his own actions.

“He has lost everything but he accepts he was the author of his own downfall,” he said.

“The most mortifying experience of his life was to disclose to his few remaining friends why he is in custody.”

Judge Allen noted that Dillon was caught with vast quantities of child exploitation material and the messages he had sent were “about as bad as it gets”.

Dillon will be sentenced next month.