STEVEN BIGGS FROM LUTON AND NORTHAMPTON JAILED FOR GROOMING 12-YEAR-OLD FAN IN SHOCKING WRESTLING SCANDAL

In a disturbing case that has sent shockwaves through the local communities of Luton and Northampton, Steven Biggs, a 40-year-old former wrestling promoter, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for grooming a young girl and engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Biggs, who previously managed Total Action Wrestling events across Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, and Milton Keynes, was convicted of manipulative and devious behavior towards a 12-year-old fan, with the offending taking place in early 2015.

According to court reports, Biggs, residing at Northumbria Gardens in Northampton at the time of sentencing, had no current ties to the wrestling promotions he once managed, as the company had since closed down. Despite pleading not guilty to charges of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and causing a child to watch a sexual act—specifically, an image of himself masturbating—Biggs was found guilty by a jury on Thursday and subsequently sentenced on Friday.

The victim’s mother issued a heartfelt statement, expressing the profound impact of the ordeal. She stated that her daughter’s childhood had been stolen and that the damage inflicted was irreparable. The mother also revealed that her daughter, now 14, has faced bullying at school related to the incident, highlighting the long-term emotional toll of the grooming.

In a related case, two other individuals involved in the grooming scandal—Scott Dickins, 26, of Claverley Green, Luton, and Philip Page, 28, of Brooklands Road, Bletchley—received suspended prison sentences in February after admitting to online grooming of the same girl. Dickins was sentenced to eight months, suspended for two years, while Page received a 12-month sentence, also suspended for two years. Prosecutors clarified that there was no evidence suggesting these three men acted together as a group.

Prosecutor Chetna Patel detailed the extent of Biggs’s misconduct, revealing that he had been in online contact with the girl, who was only 14 at the time, and had sent her explicit images of himself masturbating. She emphasized that Biggs, who was the 'promoter, organiser, and manager' of the wrestling group, exploited the girl’s admiration for wrestlers to manipulate her through messaging. Miss Patel pointed out that Biggs’s not guilty plea meant the young girl had to testify in court, adding to the emotional strain of the case.

Defense attorney Lisa Bald argued that there was no evidence of a joint enterprise among the men and stressed that her client’s actions were individual. She highlighted the significant personal impact the case had on Biggs over the past two years, warning that imprisonment would result in him losing his job, his housing, and contact with his two children. She requested that the court consider suspending the sentence.

However, Judge Barbara Mensah dismissed this plea, stating that the explicit and disgusting messages sent by the other two men were more shocking than Biggs’s subtle overtures. She emphasized that a 12-year-old girl was more vulnerable to deception by someone like Biggs, who used everyday language to manipulate her. The judge underscored the severity of the harm caused, which she deemed to be as great as, if not greater than, that inflicted by the others.

As part of her sentencing, Judge Mensah imposed a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order on Biggs, prohibiting him from having unsupervised contact with girls under the age of 16, aiming to prevent any future harm and protect potential victims in the future.