Nicola Bulley update as police to face NO action for releasing mum’s medical info and second probe is formally launched
NICOLA Bulley cops have been cleared by a watchdog after releasing the mum’s medical information but are now facing an independent review.
The second probe will look into the investigation conducted by Lancashire Constabulary following the mum-of-two’s disappearance in January.
The review, announced in February, is being carried out by the College of Policing, the independent national standard setting body for policing.
Questions had been mounting over how police failed to find Nicola despite a “hugely complex and highly emotional” search.
The force had come under fire for revealing painfully personal details of Nicola’s struggle with alcohol and the menopause.
They confirmed she had “vulnerabilities” at the time she went missing and was a high-risk missing person.
But the Information Commissioner’s Office will not be taking any enforcement action against Lancashire Police over its disclosure of missing mother Nicola Bulley’s personal information, the force has said.
Assistant Chief Constable Sam Mackenzie welcomed the decision and thanked the watchdog “for their careful consideration of this matter”.
Nicola’s disappearance sparked a mystery after her mobile was found on a bench still connected to a work conference call.
Her body was found in the River Wyre on February 20 three weeks after she vanished.
She was found by two dog walkers less than a mile from where she was last seen despite an extensive search involving police, underwater teams and firefighters.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said its probe focused on the “the actions and decisions of the police officer who attended Ms Bulley’s address as part of a multi-agency team”.
The watchdog’s regional director Catherine Bates said: “Our investigation has identified important learning for the force in relation to the policing role in multi-agency vehicles, which aims to assist the force in their response to similar calls in the future.
“Our thoughts remain with Ms Bulley’s family and friends, and all those affected by her death.”
It was previously confirmed that Nicola had to be identified by dental records.
Nicola’s disappearance sparked a huge amount of speculation online with web sleuths flocking to the area she was last seen in an attempt to crack the case.
For her funeral in March a no fly zone was put in place over the church – so sick TikTok sleuths couldn’t film her funeral using drones.
An inquest into Nicola’s death is to be heard on Monday, June 26 at County Hall in Preston.