The decision by police investigating the disappearance of Nicola Bulley to release sensitive personal information about her was "avoidable and unnecessary", a review by the College of Policing has found.
The 45-year-old mother-of-two went missing while out walking her dog in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, on 27 January this year, prompting a huge search and national media focus before her body was eventually found in the River Wyre three weeks later. A coroner later found she had fallen into the river accidentally.
A statement issued by Lancashire Constabulary revealing Bulley had "significant issues with alcohol" brought on by her ongoing struggles with the menopause was "roundly criticised at the time," said The Guardian, "as part of efforts to explain their handling of the investigation amid wild public speculation about the case".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Those condemning the decision included Rishi Sunak, who said he was "concerned that private information was put into the public domain".
The independent review, commissioned by Lancashire police and crime commissioner Andrew Snowden, has now concluded that – despite being lawful and not materially affecting the outcome of the search – the force's media handling and communication led to "a breakdown of public confidence".
Senior officers also came "under fire" for failing to brief accredited journalists properly during Bulley's disappearance, The Telegraph reported, leading to "a vacuum of information and frenzied public speculation about her fate". The decision not to cordon off the area where Bulley vanished or to conduct a full forensic search was also criticised.
"A professional, trusted, and appropriate working relationship between the police and the media is vital for public confidence," Dr Iain Raphael, who led the review, said. "Without this, speculation can run unchecked and result in an extraordinary explosion of media and public interest in the case."
Lancashire Constabulary said there were "areas of learning" in the report that it would be "reviewing and looking to implement in the future or has already done so".
-
September 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday's political cartoons include court-approved racial profiling and America's moral compass
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Crossword: September 13, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
2 kids killed in shooting at Catholic school massSpeed Read 17 others were wounded during a morning mass at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis
-
Dash: the UK's 'flawed' domestic violence toolThe Explainer Risk-assessment checklist relied on by police and social services deemed unfit for frontline use
-
The ethics behind facial recognition vans and policingThe Explainer The government is rolling out more live facial recognition technology across England
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murdersspeed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bailSpeed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambushSpeed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrialSpeed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside homespeed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
