Britain’s Information Commissioner, John Edwards, has asked Lancashire Police to clarify why they revealed to the public issues Nicola Bulley faced with alcohol and menopause.
The police were also criticised by former Victims’ Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird, who said the disclosure was a “dreadful error.”
Bulley, 45, has been missing since Jan. 27 when she took her dog, Willow, for a walk along the banks of the River Wyre in Lancashire after dropping her two daughters off at a nearby primary school.
The mystery of what happened to Bulley has attracted widespread newspaper coverage in Britain, while social media has been rife with speculation about her disappearance.
On Wednesday, Lancashire Police held a press conference in which they said Bulley had “specific vulnerabilities” which led them to immediately assess her as “high risk” when she was reported missing.
Part of the statement read: “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.”
“Police can disclose information to protect the public and investigate crime, but they would need to be able to demonstrate such disclosure was necessary,” he said.
Edwards said he recognised that police had to focus all of their energies on the investigation, but stated: “Given the high-profile nature of this case, we will be asking Lancashire Police to set out how they reached the decision to disclose this information in due course.”
Baird, who stepped down as Victims’ Commissioner last year, claimed the decision to reveal so much private information about Bulley was “sexist,” and she questioned whether such details would have been released if the missing person was a man.
‘As Sexist as it Comes’
Baird said: “It is a dreadful error to put this in the public domain for absolutely nothing and I’m afraid I think it’s as sexist as it comes.”The statement went on to say: “Due to the perimenopause Nikki suffered with significant side effects such as brain fog, restless sleep and was taking HRT to help but this was giving her intense headaches which caused Nikki to stop taking the HRT thinking that may have helped her but only ended up causing this crisis.”
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs are often prescribed, but these can have their own side effects.
Lancashire Police have said all along that they believe Bulley “went into the river” and was not a victim of foul play, but their failure to find a body has fuelled other theories on social media.
On Wednesday, Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith, who is leading the hunt for Bulley, said: “It’s ... really obvious that we are being inundated with false information, accusations, and rumours, which is distracting us from our work.”
Lancashire Police also revealed on Wednesday that there had been police contact with Nicola Bulley on January 10 following “concern for welfare.”