On Sunday 26th April 2026, I discovered that my professional LinkedIn profile photograph had been used without my knowledge or consent on a Facebook page that publishes a range of news items.
My image had been attached to a post relating to the recent Birmingham conviction of John Ashby, who has been found guilty of the racially aggravated rape of a Sikh woman.
My photograph was used in a manner that falsely implied I was the victim in that case.
This was not only factually incorrect — it was deeply harmful. Rape survivors are entitled to lifelong anonymity under UK law, and the posting of any image purporting to identify a victim constitutes a serious breach of that protection, regardless of whether the image is accurate.
Upon discovering the post, I immediately contacted both Leicestershire Police and Facebook’s administrative team, requesting the image be removed without delay. Despite the urgency of my request, the post was not taken down for several hours. This delay is unacceptable.
I am grateful to Sikh Women’s Aid, who responded swiftly by issuing a clear public statement across their social media platforms, reminding the public of the legal rights afforded to rape survivors, including their entitlement to lifetime anonymity. Their response was professional, principled, and timely.
While the post has now been removed, I want to be clear: the harm does not end when content is deleted. I have been left feeling very confused and distressed. No one should experience what I have experienced — not as the unwilling subject of a post, and certainly not as a survivor of sexual violence whose identity deserves protection.
Women and girls deserve to feel safe — both online and offline. The digital space must not become a place where survivors are re-traumatised, misidentified, or exploited for clicks and engagement. This kind of content is not journalism; it is clickbait, and it causes real harm to real people.
I have now made a deliberate choice not to publically reshare the original post or any screenshots of it. Doing so — even with good intentions — risks amplifying harmful content and causing further distress to the actual survivor.
Going forward, I will reach out to relevant stakeholders and those in positions of influence to drive meaningful change in how online platforms respond to the misuse of images in sensitive criminal cases. I will continue to advocate for faster takedown mechanisms, greater accountability, and stronger protections for survivors — because this is a systemic issue that will happen again unless we act.
Finally, I want to sincerely thank everyone who has reached out to me privately since this happened. Your kindness and solidarity have meant more than I can express, and remind me why we must continue to stand together for the safety and dignity of all women and girls.
