Nicola Bulley: Mother-of-two had ‘plans for the year’ before her death, says partner
Nicola Bulley had “plans for the year” before her death, her partner has told an inquest, as a lawyer for the family said they believe her death was “a tragic accident”.
Ms Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell told the hearing at County Hall, Preston, the mother-of-two was “back to herself” and had been “looking forward to the future” before she disappeared, despite a mental health “blip” the previous month.
“The blip over the Christmas period happened but in January she was back to herself, looking forward to the future and everything was on the up,” he said.
“She had a good day the day before (she went missing), came home full of beans, excited with work, with the meetings she had and plans for the year.”
Mr Ansell said he believes she went to put a harness on her dog shortly before falling into the River Wyre.
Ms Bulley’s mobile phone was still connected to a work Teams call when it was found on a bench overlooking the water on 27 January.
Mr Ansell said: “She was still listening to that meeting, so I think she must have maybe put the phone on the bench and gone to put the harness back on Willow.”
On the day, he sent her a text message saying: “Have you got lost?”
Asked if she had any suicidal thoughts, Mr Ansell she had made “a couple of throwaway comments” the month before her death, “but nothing that gave me any concern”.
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Inquest shown dive video
There was “nothing” in Ms Bulley’s medical records to suggest she was suicidal, her former GP told the inquest.
Dr Rebecca Gray said Ms Bulley had spoken to her about having a “low mood and anxiety” since 2018, later speaking of headaches, fatigue and lack of sleep.
But there was “nothing on the notes or records from 2012 where there’s been any mention of her feeling suicidal or of self-harm”, Dr Gray added.
Ms Bulley was sent to A&E on 11 January due to an injury to her head, Dr Gray said.
The mother-of-two attended a walk-in centre after a fall, complaining of increased drowsiness and vomiting, and was sent to A&E where a CT scan came back normal, the inquest heard.
Police officers during the search
A mental health clinician said Ms Bulley did not appear depressed despite concerns over her increased drinking.
Theresa Lewis Leevy told the inquest she attended Ms Bulley’s house on 10 January along with a police officer and paramedic following concerns about her welfare.
Ms Bulley appeared intoxicated on her bed and spoke of having lost weight.
However, when asked if she appeared depressed, Ms Leevy said: “No, no, not that I could ascertain at the time.”
Ms Bulley’s sister cried as she spoke during the inquest.
“Nikki was my big sister… very much a planner,” Louise Cunningham said.
“She started her career again, a busy mum, as most people are, juggling a career and family life. She always had things under her control.”
A police diver searches the river
Ms Cunningham said there was a “blip” in her sister’s mental state in the month before her death.
“She had a blip over Christmas (2022) but she was back on the HRT medication in January and back to work and back to the normal Nikki.”
Ms Cunningham said her sister was drinking more heavily over that period.
But she added: “She’s never confided in me about any suicidal thoughts.”
Ms Cunningham said she was planning a spa day shortly before Ms Bulley’s death.
She cried as she said: “I literally confirmed it was booked but she didn’t pick up the message.”
Police search the River Wyre
After the family had finished giving evidence, their lawyer Sophie Cartwright KC said: “What happened on the river bank shortly after 9.18am was a tragic accident.
“There has been much rumour and suspicion and speculation around Nikki’s death but the family are very clearly of the view and submit to you that that rumour and speculation is allayed completely when looking at all the evidence.”
‘High risk’ missing person
Ms Bulley vanished while walking her dog after she had dropped her two daughters off at school in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, on the morning of 27 January.
The 45-year-old mortgage adviser from Inskip was immediately deemed a “high risk” missing person and her disappearance sparked an intensive search operation before her body was eventually found more than three weeks later in the River Wyre.
Ribbons left on a bench near where Ms Bulley was last seen
No evidence of harm before ‘drowning’
On Tuesday, the inquest heard there was no evidence Ms Bulley was harmed before she drowned in the River Wyre.
Expert Professor Michael Tipton said the temperature of the River Wyre was around 3-5C and it would have taken “one or two breaths” of water to kill Ms Bulley.
Asked by Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, if there was any evidence of third-party involvement in Ms Bulley’s death, Home Office pathologist Dr Alison Armour replied: “No, there was not.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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