Gareth Viccars, 47, a former assistant referee in England’s lower football leagues, has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for horrific sexual offences against three teenage girls.
Viccars initially targeted a 15-year-old girl via Snapchat, grooming her before arranging to meet at a supermarket car park in Huntingdon in December 2023. There, he sexually assaulted her inside his white Mercedes. The brave victim managed to escape and memorised his vehicle’s number plate.
Despite this, Viccars continued to message the victim, boasting about his twisted desires. A few days later, he lured her again near a local park, drove her to another car park, and assaulted her for 20 minutes before dropping her off.
Following a report from the victim’s school to police in June 2024, investigations revealed two additional teenage girls who were abused by Viccars in London and Northamptonshire.
On 2 October at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Viccars, who is from Bletchley, Milton Keynes, pleaded guilty to multiple charges including six counts of penetrative sexual activity with a child and other child sex offences.
He was sentenced to 13 years and 6 months in prison. In addition, he was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, registered as a sex offender for life, and issued restraining orders.
In a victim statement, the Huntingdon girl said, “Nightmares and flashbacks have haunted me, my education’s suffered, and my trust in adults is shattered. I feel guilty, isolated and like I’ll never find happiness.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
