A teenage Britain’s Got Talent hopeful has been arrested by the police and faces a possible fine for busking.
Charlie Wilson, 17, was placed in handcuffs and threatened with a £1,000 fine for playing music in the town centre of Bury, Greater Manchester.
Policy bodycam footage showed the moment an officer demanded the teenager to pack up his equipment.
The 17-year-old, who had been singing Dani and Lizzy’s Dancing in the Sky, was accused of breaching a Public Spaces Protection Order by using an amplified speaker.
Mr Wilson pleaded his case, arguing: ‘Everyone’s enjoying it, man, what’s the need?’
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After being warned that he will be arrested if he continues, the officer repeatedly asked for his name.
PC Richard Holland told the young singer: ‘I don’t want to have to, but if you’re not telling me your name I will lock you up for it.’
‘I tried to deal with you nicely, I told you many, many times how we can deal with this nicely.’
The aspiring singer had travelled to London to audition for the upcoming series of Britain’s Got Talent.
Shocked people passing by slammed the police for their ‘excessive’ response, with one person saying the youngster had ‘made a little girl’s day’.
Under Bury Council’s Public Spaces Protection Order, the use of amplifiers is prohibited within the town’s ring road.
Since his arrest, Charlie has received a letter from Bury Council giving him a ‘formal notification’ to ‘refrain from engaging in further anti-social behaviour’.
Speaking about the incident, Charlie said: ‘I knew you could get a fine, that’s why I was a bit hesitant to give him my information like my name and address.
‘I was concerned that he was going to use that to take me to court and use all the money I’d saved up.
‘There was no disrespect on my behalf.’
He added: ‘I was scared, I’m not a bad kid. I’ve never had any experience like that.
‘It was embarrassing for me as a singer – people were watching, if they see that they’re going to think the worst.’
Greater Manchester Police’s superintendent Phil Spurgeon has since met with Charlie and his mother Joanne Leach to discuss the incident.
In an email following the meeting, the superintendent wrote: ‘The officer accepted my view that they could have used discretion for this matter.
‘While the officer maintains they were exercising lawful powers, my view is that their actions were not proportionate or necessary in terms of threat, harm and risk to the public.
‘As we discussed in our meeting however, that does not give a ‘green light’ to Charlie to continue busking in Bury town centre.’
A Greater Manchester Police press office spokesperson said: ‘At around 2.25pm on 24 August 2025, GMP officers on a targeted operation in Bury town centre tackling crime and anti-social behaviour arrested a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of breach of Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).
‘He was de-arrested shortly after.’
A spokesperson for Bury Council has said the PSPO is due for review in 2026.
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