Just when it didn’t seem possible to feel any more negatively about the police, somehow a new, stomach-churning low.
Intimate details released, in glorious technicolour, of issues missing Nicola Bulley was allegedly dealing with.
Personal secrets that should never ever have been made public.
And the motive for this, the only crystal clear and unarguable part of this whole case: because the police were being criticised for the way they were handling the investigation.
Rather than rising above the chatter of armchair detectives everywhere, secure in the knowledge that they know best, the police caved in and sold Nicola out.
Yet another woman in the long, long list who have been failed disgustingly by the force. Let down, attacked, by the very people we’re meant to trust to keep us all safe.
These issues - which, let’s not forget, we only have their one-sided word for - are no-one’s business but Nicola’s. It should be entirely up to her who, if anyone, she chooses to share them with.
This is just an unforgivable, appalling, grotesque breach of privacy.
And how unbearable for Nicola’s family, to now have this to deal with on top of the waking nightmare they’re enduring at the moment.
How will the officers dealing with the case manage to look them in the eye now?
How can Nicola’a loved ones believe that they have her best interests at heart, when they have just made it so obvious that they’re only out for themselves, worried about their own public perception?
And even if the police do now apologise for this catastrophic error of judgement, it’s too late. The damage has been done. The information is out there, they can’t get it back.
The recent trend for true crime documentaries, coupled with the mysterious nature of Nicola’s disappearance seem to have made many people forget a few things.
Namely, that these are real people, with real emotions, hopes and fears, going through absolute hell. They deserve better. Nicola deserves better.
The police should be hanging their heads in shame - a position they must be well used to at this point.
