MP for Rutland Alicia Kearns criticises Lancashire Police for revealing Nicola Bulley's vulnerabilities

An MP has criticised the revelation by Lancashire Police of a missing woman’s alcohol problems.

Alicia Kearns, a Conservative MP for Rutland, said she was “deeply uncomfortable” about the decision to reveal missing Nicola Bulley’s personal struggles.

Police revealed yesterday (Wednesday, February 15) that the mum-of-two was classed as “vulnerable”.

The 45-year-old had suffered with “significant issues with alcohol” which were brought on by “her ongoing struggles with the menopause”, the force said.

These struggles had resurfaced over recent months, it added.

Ms Kearns took to Twitter yesterday to condemn the decision to give that information out to the public.

“I am deeply uncomfortable with the police releasing Nicola Bulley’s so-called ‘vulnerabilities’ on menopause and alcohol,” she wrote.

“I struggle to ascertain how this will assist police in their search and investigations.

“I do see how it would assist those wishing to victim-blame or diminish.”

Lancashire Police has defended its decision, which it made after earlier telling the public that Nicola had been vulnerable, but not saying why.

The force said: “We have described how Nicola had some vulnerabilities at the time she went missing and we just wanted to expand on that a little.

“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.

“As a result of those issues, a response car staffed by both police and health professionals attended a report of concern for welfare at Nicola’s home address on January 10. No one has been arrested in relation to this incident, but it is being investigated.

“It is an unusual step for us to take to go into this level of detail about someone’s private life, but we felt it was important to clarify what we meant when we talked about vulnerabilities to avoid any further speculation or misinterpretation. We have explained to Nicola’s family why we have released this further information, and we would ask that their privacy is respected at this difficult time.”

Nicola vanished after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school on Friday, January 27, in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire. She was last seen at 9.10am taking her usual route with her springer spaniel, Willow, alongside the River Wyre.

Her phone – still connected to a work call for her job as a mortgage adviser – was found just over 20 minutes later on a bench overlooking the riverbank, with her dog running loose.

Since she vanished, huge public and media interest has resulted in what police described as “false information, accusations and rumours” and an “unprecedented” search of both the River Wyre, downstream to Morecambe Bay and miles of neighbouring farmland.