Lancashire police apologise after TikTok post wrongly accuses teenager
Force admits error and promises to destroy inappropriate video footage
Last updated 28th Nov 2025
Lancashire Constabulary has issued an apology after a TikTok post wrongly accused a young man of throwing a firework at a police car.
The original post, shared on 3rd November 2023, showed CCTV footage of Muhammed Mubashir Ali Ahmed, then legally still a child, inside a police station alongside separate footage of another man throwing a firework at a police vehicle.
The post alleged that Mr Ahmed was the individual responsible for the firework incident and implied he was being punished. However, Lancashire Constabulary has now clarified that this allegation was untrue, and he was not the person shown in the first video.
Unlawful use of footage
The force admitted that the CCTV footage of Mr Ali Ahmed should not have been retained or used to create content for social media.
The TikTok video also included overlayed audio of pop star Rihanna singing, “you look so dumb right now,” and was followed by comments underneath the post which added to the distress caused to Mr Ali Ahmed.
Lancashire Constabulary has apologised for their actions, promised to destroy the video recordings, and confirmed the deletion of the offending TikTok post.
Sincere apology
In its public apology issued on 28th November 2025, a spokesperson for Lancashire Constabulary said:
“We apologise sincerely to Mr Ali Ahmed for the hurt and distress caused by our TikTok post. We acknowledge that the video of Mr Ahmed should not have been retained or used, and we deeply regret our actions and the impact they had on him.”