Nicola Bulley inquest live: Mother-of-two died after falling into River Wyre in freezing temperatures
Nicola Bulley would have found it ‘almost impossible’ to swim against current, experts say
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Your support makes all the difference.Nicola Bulley’s family slammed online trolls after a coroner ruled that the mother-of-two died by accident after falling into a river near her home.
A statement issued outside the court on behalf of Ms Bulley’s family urged people “people to look at the facts” and ignore on those spreading baseless theories on the internet.
“We encourage people to look at the facts, the evidence which has been heard during the inquest, and the conclusion reached by the coroner, to ignore any amateur views and opinions, and be mindful of the impact words bring,” the statement said.
Ms Bulley died after accidentally falling into the River Wyre in freezing temperatures, an inquest into her death concluded.
She was walking her springer spaniel Willow when she accidentally fell into the water, with experts stating it would have been “almost impossible to swim against the current”.
Coroner says Nicola Bulley ‘very possibly’ entered water at around 9:22am
Towards the end of today’s proceedings, Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley asked: “Doing the best with your expertise, we could assume entry to the water was after 9.18am and before 9.30am and very possibly around 9.22am, but that’s as far as we can go realistically?
DC Keith Greenhalgh responded: “That is correct sir.”
No indication ‘whatsoever’ of third-party involvement, says senior officer
Rebecca Smith, Detective Superintendent of Lancashire Constabulary, was also asked if there was any indication of third-party involvement in Ms Bulley’s death, to which she replied: “None whatsoever.”
Ms Smith listed the items recovered with Ms Bulley’s body including her FitBit watch and a set of Mercedes car keys. She added Ms Bulley was not using headphones that day to listen to her Teams call.
Ms Smith told the court Ms Bulley dialled into her work Teams call at 9.01am, which Ms Bulley did not need to speak on, so she was muted. This call ended at 9.30am but she stayed logged in until 10.32am.
Nicola Bulley’s body would have sunk after she fell in
During today’s proceedings, an underwater search expert said Nicola Bulley's body may have sunk under the surface of the river after she fell in.
Dr Lorna Dennison Wilkins told the inquest in Preston: “Nikki might have had some buoyancy in her clothing which would have dispelled.
“Once that happened, she would have lost that buoyancy and her body would have sunk under the surface, was my assessment.”
Full report: Nicola Bulley was alive and sober when she entered water, inquest reveals
Nicola Bulley was alive when she entered the water of the River Wyre and was not under the influence of alcohol, an inquest has heard.
Giving evidence at the two-day hearing, Home Office pathologist Dr Alison Armour said there is “no evidence” that Nicola Bulley was assaulted or harmed as her cause of death was confirmed as drowning.
My colleague Holly Evans has the full report here:
Nicola Bulley was alive and sober when she entered water, inquest reveals
A post-mortem examination found no signs that she had been assaulted or harmed
Nicola Bulley was not under influence of alcohol, post-mortem shows
The post-mortem examination also found “very low levels of alcohol” in Ms Bulley’s blood, which indicated alcohol levels “in my opinion, consistent with microbiological post-mortem activity”.
Home Office pathologist Dr Alison Armour explained this is the release of alcohol by bacteria produced in the body when a person dies.
Therapeutic levels of beta blocker propranolol and painkiller paracetamol were also discovered.
Video report: Nicola Bulley died from drowning, inquest told
When did Nicola Bulley go missing? Timeline of the mystery as inquest begins
The inquest into the death of mother-of-two Nicola Bulley began on Monday.
Emily Atkinson and William Mata have a timeline of the case here:
When did Nicola Bulley go missing? Timeline of the mystery as inquest begins
Lancashire Police have been criticised for disclosing details of menopause and alcohol struggles
Diving expert who led private search for Nicola Bulley says he hasn’t been asked for evidence at inquest
The diving specialist who led a private search for Nicola Bulley in Lancashire has said he has not been asked to give evidence at her inquest.
Peter Faulding, CEO of Specialist Group International (SGI), who had assisted police with previous missing persons investigations, was asked by Ms Bulley’s family to help with the search after she disappeared near her home in St Michael’s on Wyre in January.
His team spent three days scanning a three-mile stretch of the River Wyre using sonar equipment, but did not find any trace of the mother-of-two in the section of the river they searched.
My colleague Lucy Skoulding reports:
Man who led private search for Nicola Bulley ‘hasn’t been asked for inquest evidence’
Underwater search expert Peter Faulding and his team were asked to help in the search
No enforcement action against Lancashire Police over release of Nicola Bulley’s personal information
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) will not be taking any enforcement action against Lancashire Police over its disclosure of Nicola Bulley’s personal information, the force said last month.
In an update issued on Tuesday 9 May, the Independent Office for Police Conduct also said its investigation into an officer’s contact with the mother prior to her disappearance identified two areas of learning.
The force came under heavy criticism after the 45-year-old’s body was pulled from the River Wyre in Lancashire on 19 February, more than three weeks after she was last seen on January 27.
My colleague Oliver Browning has more here:
No enforcement action over release of Nicola Bulley’s personal information
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) will not be taking any enforcement action against Lancashire Police over its disclosure of Nicola Bulley’s personal information, the force has said. In an update issued on Tuesday 9 May, the Independent Office for Police Conduct also said its investigation into an officer’s contact with the mother prior to her disappearance identified two areas of learning. The force came under heavy criticism after the 45-year-old’s body was pulled from the River Wyre in Lancashire on 19 February, more than three weeks after she was last seen on January 27. Click here to sign up for our newsletters.
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