by Nicola Bulley died of drowning, an inquest heard
An independent report into the police's handling of the Nicola Bulley case is due to be published this morning.
Ms Bulley drowned after accidentally falling into cold water, an inquest heard in June. The 45-year-old had disappeared after dropping her daughters, six and nine, at school and taking her usual walk along the River Wyre in St Michael's, Lancashire, on January 27.
The search for Ms Bulley and the police investigation received national coverage and unprecedented interest on social media. The force faced strong criticism, including a public backlash over the disclosure of Ms Bulley's personal information, such as that she had “drinking problems” and was past menopause.
The review led by the College of Policing aims to assess the effectiveness of Lancashire Police's response when the mother was missing earlier this year, focusing on investigation and tracing, communication and public engagement and the release of personal information .
Announcing its launch, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire, Andrew Snowden, said he was “confident there will be lessons for Lancashire Constabulary”, as well as other forces and the wider policing sector.
Who was Nicola Bulley?
Nicola Bulley was a 45-year-old mortgage adviser and mother-of-two who lived in St Michael's in Wyre, Lancashire.
Paul Ansell, Mrs Bulley's partner, said she was ‘fun', ‘loved', ‘the most loyal friend you could ever have' and a ‘fantastic mum'.
Nadia Fell, 39, a friend of the late mother, said Mrs Bulley was “the most amazing mum ever” and added: “Anything she needed to do for school – PTA stuff – she was always there for it.”
In the final stages of the investigation, police controversially revealed that Ms Bulley had been struggling with alcohol use and perimenopausal symptoms before her disappearance.
Nicola Bulley disappeared in January
(Lancashire Police)
Sam RkainaNovember 21, 2023 09:30
The report into the police handling of the Nicola Bulley case will be released
An independent report into the police's handling of the Nicola Bulley case is due to be published this morning.
The review led by the College of Policing aims to assess the effectiveness of Lancashire Police's response when the mother was missing earlier this year, focusing on investigation and tracing, communication and public engagement and the release of personal information .
Announcing its launch, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire Andrew Snowden said at the time: “The public understandably feel that questions remain about the handling of police investigation evidence, how it was shared and the decision to release personal information. , which must be answered and explained”.
He added that he was “confident there will be lessons for Lancashire Police” as well as for the wider policing sector.
Tara CobhamNovember 21, 2023 09:24
