NICOLA Bulley’s husband Paul Ansell has opened up on the vile social media trolls he faced two years after his wife’s tragic death.
The shocked the nation in January 2023 and led to a 23-day manhunt for the mum-of-two.
Nicola Bulley’s husband has opened up on the vile social media trolls he faced following the disappearance of his wifeCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
Nicola’s body was found weeks after she had vanished in January 2023Credit: Facebook
Nicola, 45, vanished after dropping her children off at school in St Michael’s on Wyre, , on January 27.
Her body was tragically found in the River Wyre after weeks of searching during which time her partner Paul Ansell had been of being involved in her disappearance.
Three years on and her husband, , has bravely spoken about the trauma and devastation his family experienced.
Speaking at a School of Economics lecture on Monday, the engineer recalled how he became the subject of intense media scrutiny.
“I became a subject with the media, in the sense of, ‘where’s the partner? Why’s he not talking?’ sort of thing,” he said in comments reported by .
“I got out of the car, and I don’t think I knew what I was doing, really. I got out of the car, then I got collared by Sky, and the next minute, I was doing this interview.
“But then of course you’re, you know, psychoanalysed, analysed. Your eyes aren’t right, you’re smirking.
“It wasn’t the papers or the news. It was more TikTok.”
“It’s very, very intrusive, which was a horrible thing to experience on its own, let alone when you’re experiencing everything that we were. It can engulf you.”
Nicola was last seen walking along a towpath with her pet springer spaniel, Willow, before her was found on a bench still connected to a work conference call.
Willow was also found but there was still no trace of the mum-of-two.
On February 20, 2023 searching for Nicola confirmed a body had been found less than a mile from where she was last seen.
An inquest revealed she and was alive when she entered the water.
After Nicola found, Paul told News: “No words right now, just agony.”
The couple have two daughters during their 12 year relationshipCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
Paul previously spoke about the horrific accusations made against himCredit: Channel 5
The highly-publicised search for Nicola had sparked a huge reaction with thousands of news stories and videos racking up hundreds of millions of views.
Many users shared their own theories about what they thought had happened.
The online discussion around the case caused friends of Nicola to express their taking the investigation into their own hands.
Police were even forced to intervene after one so-called detective in an attempt to find Nicola.
In February 2023, Paul told Dan Walker of the horrific accusations made against him by online trolls in an exclusive interview.
Paul said of the false claims: “Some of the things that people say are just, I mean, just ridiculous, aren’t they?
“I read one that said ‘the police need to look at the partner’.
“And I’m sort of like, well, yeah, that’s the first thing that they do. Like of course it is.
A 143-page report into Lancashire Police’s handling of the case was released in November 2023.
The review, led by the College of Policing, criticised the force for “insufficient focus” and errors of judgement.
Lancashire Police were criticised in a report on the handling of the case in November 2023Credit: PA
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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