Nicola Bulley latest as minister says there are ‘serious questions’ over police decision while partner’s social media is hacked
The disclosure of private information about Nicola Bulley is “shocking”, according to Commons leader Penny Mordaunt. Her comments came after reports that heartless trolls have hacked into social media accounts owned by the missing mother’s partner, Paul Ansell.
Hackers gained access to the engineer’s Pinterest account and published sexually explicit photos of women, the Mirror reports. Several images appeared on Saturday, including topless models in lingerie and images of an actress in a bikini.
Lancashire Police were alerted to the posts by the Sunday Express and launched an investigation which confirmed his account had been hacked. A spokesman for the force said: “A third party has accessed Paul Ansell’s Pinterest account and will be shut down. We are investigating the matter.”
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Meanwhile, Ms Mordaunt told BBC’s Sundays with Laura Kuenssberg that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman were “right to raise concerns” about the force’s handling of private information in the investigation.
Lancashire Police have come under fire for releasing details about Nicolas’ struggles with alcohol and perimenopause symptoms. Information Commissioner John Edwards said he would be asking the force about their decision to release the information.
Ms Mordaunt said: “I mean, the first thing I felt was for her family. I mean, it’s bad enough that your loved one is gone, but having all the added drama that accompanies this very tragic case is horrifying.
“And I think it really bugs a lot of women and we have to put up with all kinds of sexist behavior in all kinds of settings. And I think playing it in such an environment is why people are so upset.”
Asked whether police had shown sexism in their handling of the case, Ms Mordaunt said: “I think they were clearly motivated to try and explain why this case is so complex. But I think serious questions need to be asked as to why they wanted to release certain information.”
In a press conference on Wednesday, Lancashire Police announced that Nicola had been classified as a “high risk” missing person immediately after her partner reported her disappearance “due to a number of specific vulnerabilities”. They later added in a statement that she had struggled with drinking problems and menopause and had stopped taking HRT drugs.
According to the Sunday Times, Lancashire Police have now brought in a behavior profiling expert and a forensic clinical psychologist to help with the search and have been in contact with a canine behavior specialist to gather all the information on the missing mother’s Springer Spaniel.
The force have previously said their main working hypothesis is that Nicola fell into the River Wyre in a “10 minute window” on the day of her disappearance. She was last seen at 9.10am taking her usual route along the river with Willow, having earlier dropped her two daughters off at school.
Her phone, still connected to a work call for her job as a mortgage advisor, was found just over 20 minutes later on a bench overlooking the riverbank while her dog was roaming free. The search for her has since expanded to the sea, but she has not been found.
Her partner Paul spoke to Channel 5 for a documentary about her disappearance, where he was asked how he felt about the widespread interest in the case and the allegations against him by trolls.
He said “it would be annoying” but only “if I allowed myself to read it all,” adding, “I’ve seen quite a bit. Most people were amazing. You’re always going to get that 2 percent of people for not saying and doing very nice things for whatever reason.”
A former prosecutor warned this week that the ongoing speculation about Nicolas’ disappearance “could ultimately have judicial implications” should a trial go ahead. The investigation has attracted considerable public attention, and some vigilante groups have even gone to the village to try and join the search.
Attorney Nazir Afzal said any potential jury might have difficulty considering the case from an impartial standpoint. He told The Independent: “Chair detectives raise expectations that cannot be managed and ultimately affect the judiciary. For example, potential jurors expect that certain evidence should be available because they have read or seen it, and if not, they ask why.”
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