The following individuals were sentenced to prison time in October 2025 for crimes committed in east London.
Football referee jailed for sexual abuse
An English Football League assistant referee groomed a 15-year-old Romford schoolgirl and manipulated her into sexual activity.
Gareth Viccars was jailed for 14 years after he pleaded guilty to 16 child sex offences against three victims.
The 47-year-old used Snapchat to contact children and referred to himself as “dad” and them as “little girls”.
Viccars had been a referee for more than 25 years and served as a match official in professional English Football League games from the 2018-19 season.
Viccars began contacting the Romford schoolgirl in November 2021 and after messaging for four days he suggested they meet up.
After driving from his home in Milton Keynes to Romford to pick her up after school, he began to engage in sexual activity with the girl.
He then pressured her into further sexual activity by convincing her they were in a loving relationship.
He went on to commit further sex offences against two more underage girls whilst maintaining the relationship with the Romford schoolgirl.
Read the full story – Referee Gareth Viccars sexually abused Romford girl
Brentwood killer
John Moore, 39, killed 63-year-old Francis Reilly at his flat in Ingrave Road, Brentwood.
Moore is said by Essex Police to have regularly borrowed money to fuel his drug habit and was in debt to Mr Reilly.
On September 12, Mr Reilly had tried to spray Moore with a bottle of ammonia after a fight broke out between the pair.
But Moore, stronger and more than 20 years younger than Mr Reilly, quickly overpowered him and armed himself with a hammer.
He repeatedly cracked down on Mr Reilly with the weapon and threw him against a wall.
Mr Reilly managed to flee the flat, but Moore’s attack continued outside, in view of a taxi driver.
The taxi driver flagged down two passing police officers, telling them he had just seen a man striking another repeatedly with a hammer as the victim pleaded with his attacker.
Mr Reilly died at the scene.
Moore claimed he was acting in self-defence and a jury failed to reach a verdict on a murder charge.
He was jailed for six years and two months for manslaughter.
Read the full story – Brentwood Ingrave Road fatal attack with hammer
Paedophile brothers
Brothers Vruj and Vishan Patel, from Upton Park, kept videos and pictures of sex crimes against young girls.
Vruj Patel was arrested in February after the Metropolitan Police was made aware of a third-party report of videos of child sexual offending found on a device that had been sent for repair.
It is understood the footage depicted child sexual offences being committed against a young girl.
Officers were able to trace the device back to his brother Kishan Patel.
Vruj Patel was identified in a video on his brother’s device, with his face visible at the end of one of the child abuse tapes.
Vruj Patelwas further incriminated when detectives uncovered pictures and video footage of him committing a rape against a young woman after a night out, and voyeurism against a young girl.
Vruj Patel, 26, was sentenced to 22 years in prison whilst Kishan Patel, 31, was jailed for 15 months.
