A man who travelled to the site where police are looking for missing mum-of-two Nicola Bulley, and filmed himself for social media, has been arrested and fined. Dan Duffy was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and issued with a £90 fine. Video footage of the arrest was uploaded to YouTube by Dan on his channel Exploring With Danny.
In the clip Duffy said: "Hi guys, I'm being arrested on a public order offence. They've had an allegation. As you all know I was in search to find the missing woman Nicola but this is what it's turning into. No freedom of speech."
The video showed Duffy being taken away in a police car before a title card read '20 hours in the police station arrested on a public order offence for searching for missing woman Nicola Bulley'. Duffy was then seen standing on the back step of a police van giving the middle finger with both hands, reports LancsLive.
A Lancashire Constabulary spokesperson said: "A 36-year-old man from Darwen was arrested under Section 4 of the Public Order Act - Fear/Provocation of Violence. He was given a Fixed Penalty Notice."
Videos showing Duffy searching the riverside and nearby buildings by nightfall have gained as many as 1.2 million views on TikTok. He was also involved in a confrontation with a man, believed to be a local resident, while broadcasting live on TikTok from outside a property in the village.
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Police have the power to break up groups causing a nuisance in the village where Nicola vanished on January 27. A number of other people were warned about their behaviour as the force warned it will not tolerate criminality, including trespass and criminal damage. Officers had previously warned members of the public not to “take the law into their own hands” by breaking into empty or derelict riverside properties to try to find the mortgage advisor.
Social media sleuths have “distracted” the investigation into missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley, police have said. At a press conference at Lancashire Constabulary’s HQ on Wednesday, the force said “TikTokers have been playing private detectives” near the scene of the 45-year-old’s disappearance.
Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith said investigating officers have been “inundated with false information, accusations and rumours” relating to the case. Ms Bulley vanished in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre on January 27 while walking her springer spaniel, Willow, after dropping her two daughters, aged six and nine, at school.
At the press conference in Hutton on Wednesday, Ms Smith said her “main working hypothesis” remains that Ms Bulley fell into the River Wyre. Asked if “social media video-makers and wannabe detectives have been an annoyance or a hindrance in the inquiry”, she said: “Yes, it has significantly distracted the investigation.
“In 29 years’ police service I’ve never seen anything like it. Some of it’s been quite shocking and really hurtful to the family. Obviously, we can’t disregard anything and we’ve reviewed everything that’s come in but of course it has distracted us significantly.”
Ms Smith also addressed what she called “persistent myths” about the case. “The derelict house which is across the other side of the river has been searched three times, with the permission of the owner, and Nicola is not in there,” she said.
“The red van… we’re really grateful to members of the public for ringing in to the inquiry, we wouldn’t have got this far without everyone’s help.
“But it’s also really obvious that we are being inundated with false information, accusations and rumours, which is distracting us from our work.”
She said a red van reported in the area on the morning of Ms Bulley’s disappearance is not being treated as suspicious, and that a glove found near to where she disappeared does not belong to her.
“In terms of the glove that has been recovered, you’ll no doubt be aware that TikTokers have been playing their own private detectives and have been in the area,” she said.
“A glove has been recovered that is not believed to be relevant to the investigation. It is not Nicola’s but we have got that in our possession.”
It comes after Wyre Council announced on Monday it has removed councillors’ contact details from its website due to “inappropriate emails and phone calls” about Ms Bulley’s disappearance.
