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An assistant referee in a football league, who preyed on teenage girls, has received a sentence of 13 and a half years in prison.
Gareth Viccars, aged 47, was sentenced for numerous child sexual abuse offenses involving three schoolgirls, all aged 15.
Viccars acknowledged 16 charges, which encompassed engaging in sexual communications with a child, arranging to meet a child following sexual grooming, inciting a child to partake in sexual activity, and committing sexual acts with a child.
The offenses occurred over a three-year span from November 2021 to October 2024, as outlined by Snaresbrook Crown Court.
On Thursday, he was given a prison sentence of 13.5 years, accompanied by an additional three and a half years on extended license.
Moreover, Viccars has been placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
In her remarks, Judge Caroline English stated to Viccars: “You intentionally targeted these young victims, exploiting their vulnerability due to their age.”
At the time of his offenses, Viccars was serving as an assistant referee.
He had officiated in League One matches in the EFL while also working as an estate agent.
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), which oversees Premier League and EFL officials in England, announced that he was suspended immediately following the public disclosure of the allegations.
After his suspension, Viccars was not considered for any further appointments. Reports suggest he has been removed from the PGMOL’s list of officials.
Understandably, he did not officiate during the last season.
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Despite Viccars’s guilty pleas and expressions of remorse, the judge remarked on a troubling lack of acknowledgment from him regarding his “sexual interest in female children.”
This interest was apparent in the messages sent to his victims, along with statements from an ex-girlfriend, who noted that he had asked her to wear a school uniform.
In court, Viccars, dressed in a dark green sweatshirt, nodded as the judge articulated her sentencing remarks.
Prosecutor Charlotte Newell KC revealed that Viccars had contacted his victims through the Snapchat messaging app, telling one girl that using WhatsApp was “too risky.”
She mentioned that he had falsely claimed to be a teacher during their initial exchanges while being aware that one of the girls was only 15.
It was disclosed that Viccars had exploited another victim over several years, taking her to football matches and claiming he was “mentoring” her.
A scrapbook created by the teenager, detailing her “relationship” with Viccars, was submitted to the police and served as crucial evidence against him.
As the victim read her impact statement in court, she shared that Viccars had been her “world” and that she had entrusted him entirely for nearly three years.
Confronting her abuser, she expressed that he had drawn her in with “kind words” and “attention,” isolating her “in plain sight.”
“I now realize you were simply seeking someone young enough to manipulate,” she added.
Following the sentencing, the Metropolitan Police indicated the possibility of other victims, as Viccars had been “spamming hundreds of girls on Snapchat.”
DCI Ross Morrell, who led the inquiry, stated: “He would start with a message stating, ‘sorry, I think I’ve added the wrong person,’ and then go on to lie, manipulate, and ultimately abuse them.”
“If anyone believes they have been a victim, please contact 101 and refer to this appeal. You will receive specialized care, counsel, and you will be believed.”
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