MPs and campaigners have criticised the police for releasing personal details about the missing woman Nicola Bulley’s issues with alcohol and the menopause, with one describing it as “deeply troubling”.
Stella Creasy, the Labour MP for Walthamstow, was one of a number of people who questioned why Lancashire police took the unusual step of releasing private details about Bulley.
At a press conference on Wednesday, police revealed that Bulley, who went missing almost three weeks ago, had “individual vulnerabilities” that put her in the highest risk category, meaning there was a risk of her coming to serious harm.
Those vulnerabilities were not outlined until several hours later when police released a statement about Bulley’s “significant issues with alcohol” brought on by “her ongoing struggles with the menopause”.
Creasy called on police “to be much clearer” as to why the disclosures would help find Bulley or support the police investigation. She tweeted: “The decision to disclose this level of detail on a missing person’s private life, with no evidence that this is assisting in finding her, is deeply troubling.”
The decision to disclose this level of detail on a missing person's private life, with no evidence that this is assisting in finding her, is deeply troubling. The police need to be much clearer as to why any of this helps find Nicola Bulley or support this investigation. https://t.co/ArswL8Xvfi
— stellacreasy (@stellacreasy) February 15, 2023
The Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, the chair of the foreign affairs committee, tweeted: “I am deeply uncomfortable with the police releasing Nicola Bulley’s so-called “vulnerabilities” on menopause & alcohol. I struggle to ascertain how this will assist police in their search and investigations. I do see how it would assist those wishing to victim-blame or diminish.”
Zoë Billingham, a former inspector of constabulary, said: “I’m deeply troubled that such sensitive information has been released by the force at this stage. I have to wonder if some in Lancashire police are placing the protection of their reputation above their focus on finding Nicola.”
Silkie Carlo, the director of the civil liberties organisation Big Brother Watch, said: “Lancashire police broadcasting missing Nicola Bulley’s health issues and hormone status to the world is a serious invasion of her privacy with no obvious benefits for the investigation. A shocking decision when the police’s treatment of women is rightly in the spotlight.”
She said it seemed to be “aimed at shoring up public support for Lancashire police’s own foregone conclusions. The ramifications of this invasion of medical privacy could be really serious, including for Nicola’s safety.”
Nazir Afzal, a former chief crown prosecutor for north-west England, said the detail should not have been released and did nothing to help find Bulley. “It does, however, give fuel to the victim blamers, armchair sleuths and conspiracy theorists. We don’t need any of them.”
Bulley, 45, a mortgage adviser, disappeared after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school on 27 January in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire. She was last seen at 9.10am walking her usual route with her springer spaniel, Willow, alongside the River Wyre. Her phone, still connected to a Microsoft Teams work call, was found just over 20 minutes later on a bench overlooking the riverbank, with her dog running loose.
Since she vanished, huge public and media interest has resulted in what police described as “false information, accusations and rumours” and an “unprecedented” search of the River Wyre, downstream to Morecambe Bay and miles of neighbouring farmland.
On Wednesday, Det Supt Rebecca Smith, the lead investigator, told reporters: “As soon as she was reported missing, following the information that was provided to the police by her partner, Paul, and based on a number of specific vulnerabilities that we were made aware of, Nicola was graded as high risk.”
A later statement on the force website said: “Sadly, it is clear from speaking to Paul and the family that Nicola had in the past 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. This caused some real challenges for Paul and the family.
“As a result of those issues, a response car staffed by both police and health professionals attended a report of concern for welfare at Nicola’s home address on 10 January. No one has been arrested in relation to this incident, but it is being investigated.
“It is an unusual step for us to take to go into this level of detail about someone’s private life, but we felt it was important to clarify what we meant when we talked about vulnerabilities to avoid any further speculation or misinterpretation.”
An underwater search expert, Peter Faulding, who was helping to try to find Bulley, said police did not pass his team the information, which he says would “have changed search strategy”.
