Referee sentenced to 13 years in prison, after sexually assaulted several minors. Approach Snapchat in a terrible way
Gareth Viccars, 47, sexually abused teens as an assistant referee and was sentenced to 13 years in prison. The official case involves at least three students aged 15.
Gareth Viccars, English referee, abused several minors photo/the Sun Pa
His punishment includes an additional three and a half years of suspension of the license.
Gareth Viccars pleaded previously guilty for 16 charges. The man's file includes accusations concerning sexual communications with a minor, secret meetings following sexual grooming, determining or inciting minors to engage in sexual activities, but also direct engaging in sexual activities with adolescents.
The offenses reached for a period of three years, between November 2021 and October 2024, according to the Crown Court of Snaresbrook.
Immediate suspension: “You took advantage of vulnerable young people!”
Gareth Viccars was also inscribed in the register of sex criminals.
Addressing the referee in court, Judge Caroline English said: “You deliberately targeted these three young victims and did this because of their age at that time. Therefore, I am quite convinced that in all three cases you took advantage of vulnerable young people! ”according to The Sun.
Viccars was an assistant referee at the time of committing crimes. He worked as an official for the matches in Liga 1 in EFL, in addition to his job as a real estate agent.
Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), an organization responsible for managing all the Premier League and EFL matches in England, said he was suspended as soon as the charges came to light. Viccars was no longer taken into account for delegations after the initial suspension.
It seems that PGMOL eliminated it from the organization's list.
Approach minor on Snapchat. The WhatsApp application, “too risky”
The judge stated that, despite the recognition of guilt and remorse expressed by Viccars, he did not officially recognize that he had “sexual interest for girls”. This interest was obvious from the content of his messages and from the statement of Viccars's ex -girlfriend, who stated that he was asking him.
Prosecutor Charlotte Noull KC said, before the court, that Viccars approached his victims online through the Snapchat social network, the WhatsApp application being “too risky”, according to it. Viccars was completely aware of the victims' age and lied to he was a teacher.
The court found out that he abused another victim over a period of several years, taking her to football matches and telling others that he guided her professionally.
Started with a profile of the type “I'm sorry, I added the wrong person!”, Then harass them
An album that documents the “relationship” of the two, made by the teenager and offered to Viccars, was handed over to the police and was part of the evidence against him, according to prosecutors.
Addressing her aggressor, one of the victims said that he had conquered her with “beautiful words” and “attention” and isolated her from the outside world: “Now I know that what you really wanted was someone young enough to manipulate it!”the minor said in the courtroom.
After the sentence was pronounced, the Metropolitan Police admitted that there could be other victims of Viccars, as he “contacted hundreds of girls on Snapchat.”
DCI Ross Morrell, who led the Metropolitan Police investigation, said: “It started with a profile of the type” I'm sorry, I think I added the wrong person! “, Then he began to lie, manipulate them and then abuse them! ”.
