Benutzer:Tidergamer789/Todesfall Nicola Bulley

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Am 27. Januar 2023 verschwand die 45-jährige Britin Nicola Bulley, als sie mit ihrem Hund in St. Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, England, spazieren ging. Die Polizei von Lancashire erklärte, es gebe keine Hinweise auf verdächtige Aktivitäten oder die Beteiligung Dritter an dem Verschwinden, und erklärte schnell, ihre Arbeitshypothese sei, dass sie in den Fluss Wyre gefallen sei. Eine umfangreiche Suche des Flusses und des umliegenden Landes mit Polizeitauchern, Hubschraubern, Spürhunden und Drohnen ergab jedoch keine Leiche.

Am 19. Februar wurde Bulleys Leiche von einem Mann und einer Frau, die in der Gegend spazieren gingen, etwa eine Meile (1,5 Kilometer) flussabwärts von St. Michael's on Wyre im Fluss gefunden. Die Untersuchung, die im Juni 2023 abgeschlossen wurde, ergab, dass Bulleys Tod auf versehentliches Ertrinken zurückzuführen war. Am 19. Februar wurde Bulleys Leiche von einem Mann und einer Frau, die in der Gegend spazieren gingen, etwa flussabwärts von St. Michael's on Wyre im Fluss gefunden. Die Untersuchung, die im Juni 2023 abgeschlossen wurde, ergab, dass Bulleys Tod auf versehentliches Ertrinken zurückzuführen war.

Die Polizei wurde für ihre Handhabung des Falles kritisiert, darunter die Veröffentlichung privater Details zu Bulleys Gesundheitszustand und die schlechte Kommunikation mit den Medien, die zu öffentlichen Spekulationen führte. Mitglieder der Öffentlichkeit, insbesondere Nutzer sozialer Medien, wurden auch dafür kritisiert, während der Durchsuchung in das Gebiet gereist zu sein und sich, wie die Polizei es beschrieb, „Privatdetektive zu spielen“.

Hintergrund

Nicola Bulley wurde 1977 geboren und wuchs in der Nähe von Chelmsford in Essex auf. Sie besuchte die William de Ferrers School in South Woodham Ferrers und von 1994 bis 1996 am Thurrock Technical College; später zog sie nach Lancashire . Bulley und ihr Partner waren Eltern von zwei schulpflichtigen Töchtern. und die Familie lebte im Dorf Inskip, wo Bulley als Hypothekenberater arbeitete. Bulley hatte ein Alkoholproblem und war wegen ihrer Beschwerden in der Perimenopause in Behandlung. Polizei und medizinisches Personal waren am 10. Januar zum Haus der Familie gekommen, um auf „Bedenken hinsichtlich des Wohlergehens“ zu reagieren.

Verschwinden

Am Freitag, dem 27. Januar 2023, fuhr Bulley von ihrem Zuhause in das nahegelegene Dorf St. Michael's on Wyre, wo sie ihre Kinder gegen 08:40 GMT in der Schule absetzte. Sie spazierte mit ihrem Springerspaniel am Fluss Wyre entlang. Um 08:53 Uhr schickte Bulley eine E-Mail an ihren Arbeitgeber. Um 08:57 Uhr schickte sie einer Freundin eine SMS, um ein Treffen für ihre Kinder in dieser Woche zu vereinbaren. Anschließend nahm sie um 09:01 Uhr an einem Microsoft Teams-Anruf teil und ließ dabei die Kamera und das Mikrofon ihres Telefons ausgeschaltet.

Bulley wurde zuletzt gegen 09:10 Uhr auf einem Feld am Flussufer gesehen, als sie ohne Leine mit ihrem Hund spazieren ging. Um 09:20 Uhr befand sich Bulleys Telefon vermutlich in der Nähe einer Bank am Flussufer.

Untersuchung

Der Fluss Wyre, flussaufwärts von St. Michael's on Wyre, in der Nähe der Stelle, an der Bulleys Hund und Telefon gefunden wurden

Polizei

Nachdem Bulleys Verschwinden gemeldet worden war, stufte die Polizei von Lancashire sie umgehend als „Hochrisikopatientin“ ein, da sie „besonders anfällig“ sei, da sie „erhebliche Alkoholprobleme habe, die durch ihre anhaltenden Wechseljahrsbeschwerden verursacht würden“. Durch die Einstufung wurde der Untersuchung eine höhere Priorität und mehr Ressourcen zugewiesen.

The search for Bulley was initially focused on tracing a potential witness, a woman in a red coat spotted on CCTV walking a dog near the site of Bulley's disappearance. She was later identified as a 68-year-old woman, who confirmed she had not seen Bulley. On 4 February, police released a CCTV image of another woman who was seen, pushing a pram, in the area at the time of Bulley's disappearance; the police later reported that the woman had come forward very quickly.

Searches of the river and riverbank from St Michael's on Wyre to the sea found nothing of interest. On 3 February, Lancashire Constabulary stated that they believed the circumstances of Bulley's disappearance were not suspicious, nor criminal and did not involve a third party. The police's theory that Bulley had fallen into the River Wyre was met with criticism and scepticism by Bulley's family and friends. They stated that the hypothesis was unsupported by evidence, and Bulley's partner did not believe that she had entered the river. A Lancashire Constabulary superintendent reiterated that this remained the force's working hypothesis, and they were "as sure as [they] can be" that Bulley had not left the area.

The search involved police divers, a helicopter, sniffer dogs and drones, and was assisted by the Coastguard, Mountain Rescue and fire crews. Members of the public helped with the search, and police requested the community look out for the clothing Bulley was known to be wearing. She had worn her Fitbit, although its last data synchronization was before her disappearance and its account was not useful to the investigation. On 9 February, the search moved to Morecambe Bay, the mouth of the River Wyre.

At a press conference held on 15 February by Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson and Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith, Lancashire Constabulary stated that there remained no evidence of criminal activity nor of third-party involvement in Bulley's disappearance. Smith was critical of users of social media such as TikTok, who had visited the area "[playing] private detectives"; she stated that false information, speculation and rumour had been detrimental to the police investigation and had adversely affected Bulley's family. Later the same day, the police clarified comments in the conference referring to Bulley's "specific vulnerabilities" by specifying that they related to alcohol and the menopause, and also stated that police had attended a concern for welfare report at her home on 10 January. Police also put in place a dispersal order, after social media video-makers caused a nuisance and disrupted the investigation.

Private search team

Peter Faulding led an independent search effort by his company, Specialist Group International, that used side-scan sonar. He described Bulley's disappearance as "strange" and said that in his 20-year career he had "never seen something so unusual". After an extensive search of the River Wyre, the underwater team concluded their operation. Faulding said that his team were unable to locate her in the area of the River Wyre where detectives thought she may have entered the water, stating: "That area is completely negative—there is no sign of Nicola in that area. The main focus will be the police investigation down the river, which leads out to the estuary." Faulding believed it was unlikely that Bulley had been swept out to sea, adding, "My personal view is that I think it is a long way to go in a tidal river."

Recovery of body and inquest

The Wyre downstream of St Michael's on Wyre, near to where Bulley's body was found

On 19 February 2023, a man and woman walking their dog discovered Bulley's body adjacent to a fallen tree in the River Wyre, about downstream from St Michael's on Wyre. The couple informed the police, and the body was subsequently recovered from among reeds and undergrowth. Police set up a tent beside the river and a police helicopter operated above the area. Some members of the public tried to take photos of the body by climbing over a fence and pretending to be journalists; a man was later arrested and bailed, for a malicious communications offence and perverting the course of justice relating to him recording video within the police cordon.

On 20 February, Lancashire Constabulary confirmed that the body was Bulley's. She was identified from her dental records. The cause of death was not immediately established. An inquest was opened on 22 February, at Preston coroner's court, before senior coroner James Adeley, once identification was confirmed he adjourned proceedings. On 11 April, Lancashire Police divers returned to the river under direction of the coroner.

On 26 June, the inquest heard that Bulley's mobile phone and Fitbit watch data suggested she entered the water at 09:22. The cause of her death was established to be accidental drowning, with no evidence that Bulley had been harmed before she went into the water.

Criticism of the media and of Lancashire Police

After confirming Bulley's death at a press conference, Lancashire Police read a statement from Bulley's family in which they condemned the actions of Sky News and ITV News for making contact directly with them when they had expressly requested privacy, describing the conduct of media outlets as "shameful". The family also criticised people who accused Bulley's partner of involvement in her disappearance. Baroness Wheatcroft, former editor of the Sunday Telegraph, said the media had invaded the family's privacy, calling it a "feeding frenzy". On 21 February, the broadcasting regulator Ofcom said it was "extremely concerned" to hear complaints about media conduct made by Bulley's family, and that it had written to both ITV and Sky News to ask them to explain their actions.

The police's revelation of Bulley's health details was criticised by several politicians. Home Secretary Suella Braverman asked the force to justify its decision. Vera Baird commented that, if publicising the details would have aided the search, it should have been done immediately and said otherwise she thought it sexist. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer both expressed concerns; other critics included Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt, and MPs Stella Creasy and Alicia Kearns. Lancashire Constabulary's media strategy as a whole was criticised as having encouraged rumour and speculation. After a review of the force's disclosures during the case, the Information Commissioner's Office decided to take no enforcement action, with more details expected to be released following the inquest in June.

Guardian columnist Zoe Williams called police discussion of Bulley's health "the worst judgment call on the police's part [...] There was no call for that level of detail; it appeared to be introduced purely to discredit her as a rational actor." Williams extended her criticism to the general public, via social media, which reacted entirely contrarily, in her opinion, to how reason and tact would dictate in the early stages of the case when police released minimal information. "Everything the police left unsaid opened a vacuum, into which armchair detectives and keyboard warriors piled with conspiracies, speculation and fantasy. The glee and shamelessness of people broadcasting their vigilante investigations was chilling", extending to one YouTuber broadcasting himself joining the search, getting arrested on a public order charge for doing so, and then broadcasting himself again getting fined. When the theories circulating forced the police to hold their 15 February news conference to debunk them, she noted, two Daily Mail columnists tweeted links to columns criticising Detective Superintendent Smith for having worn a sleeveless dress. "It's a crowded field but this may have been a low point for traditional media," she wrote.

Reviews of the police's contact with Bulley earlier in January were opened by the Independent Office for Police Conduct after self-referral by the Lancashire Constabulary. It concluded in May, finding "no misconduct or wrongdoing", but did identify two areas for improvement. A separate review by the College of Policing was initiated at the request of the Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner, Andrew Snowden. It will investigate aspects of the investigation and search for Bulley; it is expected to produce a report in the autumn. Lancashire Constabulary also began an internal review into their handling of the case. Later in February, Specialist Group International, who had conducted the unsuccessful sonar searches of the river, were removed from the National Crime Agency's Expert Advisers Database, pending a review of the case by the NCA.

On 3 October 2024, an hour-long documentary The Search for Nicola Bulley aired on BBC One, with exclusive access to Bulley's family and those at the centre of the case, including Lancashire Police, journalists, the person who found her body and social media creators. The programme received criticism from some viewers for the amount of time it spent discussing the involvement of social media amateur sleuths.

Independent review

In November 2023, a report of an independent review of Lancashire Police's handling of Bulley's disappearance was published. The report criticised the force for publicly revealing details of Bulley's health, but also for failing to adequately brief the media which led to public speculation. It concluded that senior staff at the force made errors of judgement in transparency and in the failure to support lower-ranked officers, and that the involvement of the private search team undermined the police's work as well as the public's trust in the force.

See also

• List of solved missing person cases