Nicola Bulley's partner recalls 'mortifying' move from police that changed case

Nicola Bulley was found dead in January, three weeks after she went missing

Nicola Bulley's partner has recounted a "mortifying" experience during the police search after she tragically disappeared. Ms Bulley vanished while walking her dog by the River Wyre in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, sparking an extensive three-week search.

Her body was eventually discovered by a passer-by, and an inquest concluded that the 45-year-old had accidentally drowned. However, the police faced backlash for their approach to the investigation, as well as for the spread of speculation and false information which compounded the anguish of Ms Bulley's family and friends.

The police came under fire during the search when they told the public that Ms Bulley had "suffered with some significant issues with alcohol which were brought on by her ongoing struggles with the menopause and that these struggles had resurfaced over recent months".

Paul Ansell, Ms Bulley's grieving partner, has spoken out about how this move by the police led to a "conflict" between them and Ms Bulley's family. In a conversation with the BBC, he expressed his shock: "We were in the living room, still working on it and before we knew it they had released it.

"Nikki would be mortified about what has happened and how it came about. There was an awful lot of conflict with the police."

These revelations are part of the forthcoming documentary 'The Search For Nicola Bulley', which is set to broadcast on BBC1 on October 3. Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith, who led the investigation, features in the programme as well, reports the Express.

She expressed that Mr Ansell was "key to a lot of people's theories and we had to negate that".

Mr Ansell also touched on the baseless rumours that circulated about the case during the search. He revealed: "I was getting direct messages from people that I've never met. They don't know me, they don't know us, they don't know Nikki."

"They know nothing about us. Just messages like 'you b******". "We know what you did'. 'You know you can't hide Paul', that kind of stuff."

Regarding the effect of social media speculation, he added: "It wasn't a huge part of our lives. But yeah, when you experience something like this, you realise what a huge monster it can be, I guess."

Mr Ansell also shared the challenges of supporting his two daughters while the search was still underway. He admitted: "The nights were the hardest. In the morning the hope would be strong. It used to go dark at like 4pm. It used to get to about 3pm and then I'd start panicking that I knew it would start going dark in an hour. So we had an hour to find her."

"And then obviously I'd have the girls. The first they'd do when they came out of school was run over and say 'have we found mummy?'"

Ms Bulley's sister, Louise Cunningham, also condemned those on social media who spread "disgusting allegations" and "vile theories". She stated: "It doesn't always have to be something sinister linked to something that happens. Sometimes bad things just happen. I just wish it didn't happen to us. We're just a normal family. We've had a really tough time."

The family noted it was "emotionally draining" to be part of the film process, yet they pressed on to "ensure she has the legacy she deserves".

Rachel Lob-levyt, who helmed the new documentary, shared: "We had a viewing with the family. It was difficult - obviously emotional for them. They feel the documentary really honours their experience, and honours Nikki. At the time she went missing, Paul was subject to a really difficult level of scrutiny."

"The idea of putting himself back in the public eye is nerve-racking but ultimately, he thought it the right thing to do. The social media sleuths felt entitled to say whatever they wanted. In the past we'd have talked about these things in the pub, whereas now people broadcast it online and everything is accelerated. Opinion takes on similar weight to verified information."