A former San Mateo firefighter and Livermore Pedophile, Simon Meyer, received a prison sentence for sexually abusing and surreptitiously photographing children in his Livermore residence, following testimonies from the victims and their relatives.
Simon Meyer, 56, entered incarceration on May 13 and remains detained at North Kern State Prison, according to official documents. Prior to his trial, Meyer entered a no contest plea in March to four charges related to sexual offences against kids, which included inappropriate touching and photographing them while changing.
Notwithstanding his no contest plea, Simon Meyer continued to garner support from friends and family, including former colleagues from the fire service, who attended his sentencing hearing. The effusive characterisations of Simon Meyer depicted him as consistently “supportive of children” [IS THAT WHAT IT IS CALLED NOW?] and a “gentleman,” recognised as a “dependable friend and devoted family man.”. His family and friends were not bothered that he was a child molesting pedophile which is mind blowing.
However, his victims report enduring lifetime trauma stemming from his betrayal, either through sexual assaults or covertly recording them while changing in his restroom. A woman expressed her fear of disclosing that Simon Meyer had sexually abused her as a child due to the potential impact on her parents, who had a strong relationship with him. She stated that she came forward only after two adolescent girls found a concealed camera in Simon Meyer’s bathroom while changing into bathing suits and subsequently reported it to the police, resulting in media coverage of the incident.
The two children were celebrated as heroes during Simon Meyer’s sentencing hearing on April 30. A lady, who alleges that Simon Meyer assaulted her on her 13th birthday, described feeling obligated to “conceal his secret” and endured suffering in silence for years.
“I did well in school and was known to be the first to laugh at anything. I wanted to be smart and funny and accepted and liked like any other teenager. Inside, emotional wounds were festering and they manifested themselves as anger and depression,” said the woman, who this news organization is not naming. She later added, “It’s my hand extended to the other victims in this case, an apology for not speaking up until they helped me find the strength. I stand with them and I think of them often.”
One of those girls recounted how, when she discovered the hidden camera planted by her “predator,” she came to realize that “my basic human right to privacy and trust and dignity was stripped away.”
“The moment I realized what had happened, I felt humiliated, terrified, and deeply unsafe,” she said. “Since then I’ve struggled with anxiety, sleepless nights and overwhelming fear that I’m being watched, even in places where no one should ever have to feel vulnerable.”
The Livermore Pedophile Simon Meyer’s supporters in court publicly spoke up for him, including Cullen Kreider, who recounted how they attended a firefighter academy together and worked together in Redding, before Simon Meyer left to work at the San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department.
“I know him to be a hardworking, honest, and reliable friend and a good family man,” Kreider said. He later added, “Simon, you have lots of friends and family here supporting you and we believe in you.”
A fellow San Mateo firefighter, Kirk Steers, and a supporter of the pedophile, said he’s seen Simon Meyer risk his life to save people. Another supporter of the pedophile, Diana Luna, said she’s known Meyer since middle school and fondly recounted how the now convicted child sexual abuser was always “there for kids.” [THAT IS WHY HE IS GOING TO PRISON?!].
“Simon was my youngest son’s T-ball coach. Soccer coach. Mentor. Someone that my son looked — looks up to very highly in high regard,” Luna said. She later added, “I’ve always known Simon to just be a gentleman.” [AND A CHILD MOLESTER]
Meyer pleaded no contest just before he was to go on trial. Prosecutors say they were ready to present evidence he victimized eight people, including kids aged 10-15 and two 18-year-old women.
Alleged incidents of molestation involved Meyer pulling off the girls’ clothing during a game of hide-and-seek around New Year’s Eve 2008, and inappropriately touching the two teens in separate, more recent incidents, according to court records. One girl alleged that Meyer attempted to record her in the bathroom when she was 13, and inappropriately touched her twice, once during a sleepover when she was 10 and another time at a pool party three years later, records show.
Simon Meyer was a firefighter in San Mateo County until 2021; he no longer appears on public payrolls. It is unclear whether he was fired or resigned. In 2022, police in Redding listed him as a missing person and sought the public’s help in locating him, then rescinded the alert when he was found safe.
Simon Meyer faced up to eight years in prison. His victims and prosecutors wanted the maximum sentence. The defense asked Judge Paul Delucchi to consider Simon Meyer’s public service and how important he was to his family.
Delucchi credited the victims for speaking publicly and said he was trying to put himself in their parents’ shoes. He also said his own 21-year-old son is a firefighter and he “couldn’t be prouder” as a father. [THE JUDGE IS PROUD OF MEYER?]
“But when I think of those heroes and what they do and what esteem and high regard they’re held in, I look at Mr. Simon Meyer and I think, ‘Wow, what a betrayal of that,’” Delucchi said. “To have that high position, to be held in such esteem by people, to be viewed as a hero and to do something like this and betray all that trust and ruin it all.”
Simon Meyer gets credit for 81 days spent in jail toward his five-year sentence. He will be required to register as a sex offender for 20 years, and pay restitution, court records show.
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