‘Outrageous’: Police slammed for personal revelation about missing mum Nicola Bulley

Police have been slammed as “inexplicably intrusive” after releasing intimate personal details about missing mum Nicola Bulley.

Police have been criticised for making a personal revelation about Nicola Bulley.

Police have been slammed for “destroying” Nicola Bulley’s reputation as the missing mum case gripping the UK turns ugly.

Mum-of-two Nicola has been missing since January 27 after she vanished while walking her dog in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.

Since then there has been no trace of the 45-year-old despite extensive searches, leaving her family in agony.

On Thursday, in a move police themselves admitted was “unusual”, cops looking into her disappearance revealed she had been classed as a “high risk” missing person due to her “vulnerabilities”.

“Sadly, it is clear Nicola had in the past suffered with some significant issues with alcohol which were brought on by her ongoing struggles with menopause and that these struggles had resurfaced over recent months,” Lancashire Police said.

The revelation of personal details about Nicola was widely slammed.

“Why the hell did the police feel the need to tell us she had a drinking/menopause problem? Just inexplicably intrusive and outrageous,” Piers Morgan roared.

Nicola Bulley has been missing since January 27.

Others branded the police “disgusting and misogynistic” for revealing the sensitive and private information about missing Nicola.

Broadcaster Fern Britton, 65, said in a tweet: ”I am uncomfortable with the latest news suggesting that Nicola Bulley has an issue with alcohol and menopause.

“The undertone is that she maybe ‘a bit unstable’ or perhaps even ‘not in her right mind.’ Too easy to write a woman off like this. What lies behind it?”

Labour MP for Walthamstow Stella Creasy also questioned the cops decision to publicly reveal the details.

She tweeted: “The decision to disclose this level of detail on a missing person’s private life, with no evidence that this is assisting in finding her, is deeply troubling.

“The police need to be much clearer as to why any of this helps find Nicola Bulley or support this investigation.”

Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Twitter: “I am deeply uncomfortable with the police releasing Nicola Bulley’s so-called ‘vulnerabilities’ on menopause and alcohol.

“I struggle to ascertain how this will assist police in their search & investigations. I do see how it would assist those wishing to victim-blame or diminish.”

Nicola’s family has hit out at rumours being spread about her private life.

Silkie Carlo, director of privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, tweeted: “Lancashire Police broadcasting missing Nicola Bulley’s health issues and hormone status to the world is a serious invasion of her privacy with no obvious benefits for the investigation.

“A shocking decision when the police’s treatment of women is rightly in the spotlight.

“It’s not at all clear how the police are justifying this disclosure, which seems to be aimed at shoring up public support for Lancashire Police’s own forgone conclusions.

“The ramifications of this invasion of medical privacy could be really serious, including for Nicola’s safety.”

Even former Detective Chief Inspector Martyn Underhill blasted the force, saying he had never “seen such a level of detail” released in a missing persons case.

He told Sky News: “You can understand why some people are saying it’s victim blaming to protect their own reputation.

“I can’t see how it progresses the case any further forward now we’re three weeks in, to be frank.”

The backlash appeared to prompt Nicola’s family to issue a statement on Friday.

“It has now been three weeks since Nikki went missing. We, as a family, believe that the public focus has become distracted from finding Nikki, and more about speculation and rumours into her and Paul’s private life,” it read.

People have lined the streets seeking information. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

“As a family, we were aware beforehand that Lancashire Police, last night, released a statement with some personal details about our Nikki.

“Although we know that Nikki would not have wanted this, there are people out there speculating and threatening to sell stories about her. This is appalling and needs to stop.

“The police know the truth about Nikki and now the public need to focus on finding her.

“Due to the peri menopause 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.

“The public focus has to be on finding her and not making up wild theories about her personal life.”

The statement also included a direct appeal to Nicola.

“Nikki is such a wonderful daughter, sister, partner and mother and is missed dearly – we all need you back in our lives.

“Nikki, we hope you are reading this and know that we love you so much and your girls want a cuddle. We all need you home. You can reach out to us, or you can contact MissingPeople.org.uk. Don’t be scared, we all love you so very much.”

This article was originally published by The Sun and reproduced with permission