Gareth Viccars, 47, a former assistant referee in England’s third and fourth-tier football leagues, has been locked up for more than 13 years over horrific sex offences against three teenage girls.
Snapchat Grooming Sparks Sick Attacks
Viccars first targeted one victim via Snapchat, chatting her up before meeting in a Huntingdon supermarket car park in December 2023. There, he sexually assaulted her in his white Mercedes. The brave girl fled but memorised his car’s number plate.
Not done, Viccars continued messaging, boasting about his twisted sexual desires. A few days later, he lured her again near a local park, drove her to another car park, and assaulted her for around 20 minutes before dropping her off.
Additional Victims in London and Northamptonshire
The victim’s school reported the crimes in June 2024. Police investigations revealed Viccars also abused two other teenage girls in London and Northamptonshire.
Justice Served at Snaresbrook Crown Court
On 2 October, Viccars, from Bletchley, Milton Keynes, pleaded guilty to multiple counts, including six charges of penetrative sexual activity with a child and others related to child sexual offences.
He was sentenced to 13 years and six months behind bars, slapped with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life, and handed restraining orders.
In her victim personal statement, the Huntingdon girl revealed the lasting damage: “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.”
