Substantial damages for teen shamed on TikTok

A POLICE force has apologised and offered to pay “substantial” damages after it posted a video of a 17-year-old on TikTok falsely claiming he was responsible for throwing a firework at a police car.

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In January 2022, Muhammed Mubashir Ali Ahmed, then 17, was recorded on CCTV attending a Lancashire police station, the High Court in London heard.

On November 3, 2023 Lancashire Constabulary published a post on its TikTok account containing two videos.

The first included a hooded man throwing a firework at a police car with the caption “POV: You having illegal ‘fun on Bonfire Night’ and a second of Mr Mubashir Ali Ahmed at the police station with the caption “Also you, later in custody”.

The court heard the post was overlaid with an audio clip from Rihanna’s song Take A Bow, clipped to the lyrics “you look so dumb right now”.