Claims that a former boxer was jailed simply for speaking about grooming gangs have resurfaced online, but court reports show his conviction involved a wider series of offensive comments about Muslims during the unrest following the Southport killings.
Derek ‘Decca’ Heggie, 41, from Carlisle, was sentenced to 46 weeks in prison at Carlisle Crown Court on 13 December 2024.
The former bare-knuckle boxer and YouTube presenter admitted sending an offensive communication under the Malicious Communications Act after publishing two videos in August 2024.
One of the videos reportedly attracted almost 500,000 views.
What did Derek Heggie say?
The court heard Heggie posted the videos on 3 and 7 August 2024, as violent disorder spread across parts of England following the deaths of three girls in Southport.
During the broadcasts, he referred to Muslims and grooming gangs, including the statement: “young white girls are being raped by these grooming gangs”.
The court also heard the videos contained broader offensive statements about Muslims and the Prophet Muhammad.
Prosecutors said the comments were made against a background of heightened tensions and were intended to cause distress or anxiety.
Judge said videos were intended to reach a wide audience
Judge Nicholas Barker said Heggie had deliberately sought a large audience for his broadcasts and that the comments were particularly offensive towards people of the Muslim faith.
He noted that Heggie was not charged with incitement. The prosecution concerned the content and intended impact of the communications.
Former boxer admitted offence
Heggie initially denied the charge but later pleaded guilty.
His barrister, Tariq Khawam, referred to his mental health difficulties and said Heggie recognised that his conduct had been wrong, ill-informed and potentially dangerous.
Judge Barker imposed a 46-week prison sentence, equivalent to 10 months and two weeks. The court was told he would serve 40 per cent of the sentence in custody under the applicable release arrangements.
Grooming gang crimes have been documented
Criminal prosecutions and public inquiries have exposed organised child sexual exploitation and safeguarding failures in towns and cities including Rotherham, Rochdale and Telford.
Those offences can be reported and discussed publicly. Heggie’s prosecution, however, concerned the broader content and circumstances of his particular videos.
Why the case has resurfaced
Some posts shared in 2026 have presented the sentence as punishment solely for acknowledging grooming-gang offending.
That characterisation leaves out the wider statements described in court and the guilty plea under the Malicious Communications Act.
The proportionality of custodial sentences for online speech remains open to public debate, but the available court reporting does not establish that Heggie was imprisoned for that single statement alone.
