Nicola Bulley dive expert U-turn on search after being told of health issues
An independent dive specialist involved in the search for Nicola Bulley said his team's strategy would have been completely different if police had told them about her health issues.
With the new information known, he predicts she is more likely to have been swept out to sea or simply wandered off.
The 45-year-old mum disappeared while on a dog walk along the River Wyre on January 27 - with Specialist Group International drafted in 10 days later.
They spent 72 hours scouring an area of water near where the missing mum's phone was found on a bench, with police investigators allegedly working on the hypothesis she had accidentally fallen into the water but was of sound mind.
However, SGI chief Peter Faulding has told the Mirror tonight he was just as surprised as anyone when Lancashire Police revealed Nicola had problems.
Mum appeared 'completely normal' moments before vanishing while walking dog
He has also criticised the decision to release the sensitive information publicly at all.
The force said Nicola had previously had "significant" issues with alcohol and they were brought on by struggles with the menopause and had recently resurfaced.
Nicola Bulley vanished on January 27 (Lancashire Constabulary / SWNS.C)Just 17 days before she vanished, police had been to her address in Inskip following reports of concerns for her welfare.
Mr Faulding said he was told none of this when he arrived at the scene despite being briefed each day.
"I would normally be given that information to make my job easier and deploy the appropriate resources to do that search," he explained.
SGI had been working along the theory she had slipped into the water and due to the weak current and many shallows, Mr Faulding said if she'd drowned her body would have been within 500 metres of the entry point.
Assistant Chief Constable Peter Lawson and Get. Supt. Rebecca Smith, at a press conference on Wednesday (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)But a high risk missing person who is potentially suicidal and has possible intoxication completely changes that, he said.
As a result of the misinformation, Mr Faulding said he was "adamant" she couldn't have slipped in the river and his three-day search proved that.
But adding in the other factors, he said the phone being left on the bench is a possible red herring, as if Nicola was disoriented she may have wandered further upstream and gone in there.
And if she'd jumped in she'd have likely swept out to sea.
Devastated parents promise to never stop looking for mum-of-two who vanished
"We would have extended our search even further upstream. Just because you’ve got a phone there, that doesn’t mean you’ve got an entry point," he continued.
The bench where Nicola's phone was found (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)If he was knowingly looking for a potential alcoholic Mr Faulding and his team would be "looking for other evidence" as well, he said.
"I’d be looking for things like whisky bottles, because a lot of suicides - if it’s a suicide - we find bottles of pills, we find whisky bottle, half a bottle of whisky," he continued.
"I did three female suicide victims last year and they all had tablets and bottles of brandy or whisky before they went in.
"If that’s the case, they might try jump in and swim and go 'oh no, I don’t want to do this'. So they start paddling and go downstream.
SGI used special high tech sonar to scour the river (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)"If they drown, just fall in and drown, they tend to go straight down, they don’t drift. Unless it’s flood water and it wasn’t flood water on the day."
Mr Faulding said if Nicola had wandered back through the gate where her dog Willow was found and to the bridge - a CCTV blindspot - "she could’ve literally wandered off and no one would have seen her".
The underwater forensics expert went on to question if there is other information being withheld by the police.
"Do they know something else again that they are not telling us?" he said.
Mr Faulding with Nicola's partner Paul Ansell (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)"Is there another snippet of information here that actually we don’t know?"
Since leaving the search last Wednesday, Mr Faulding has offered to return and use his expertise for a land search, but said he hasn't heard from the police.
He said: "My offer is open to Lancashire Police but I’ve had no communication with Lancs Police since we left.
"Our phone has been quiet. I’m not ringing them because I don’t want to interfere but we have had no contact at all.
Mr Faulding said his whole strategy would have changed (PA)
Mr Faulding said he has not heard from police since he left (PA)"We left the scene, that was job done. We did what we’d been tasked with," he added.
He went on to criticise the police for giving out the information publicly at all.
"From my point of view…this information should never have been made public this afternoon at all. It’s not fair," Mr Faulding said.
"If we were given that information on the search, she is a vulnerable 'misper', which is normal for me to get that information, and she’s had alcohol issues etcetera, I’m not going to tell you.
"If I’m told to keep quiet I keep it between us. Our whole approach to the media may have different from day one."
"My thoughts are with the family and I feel bad that information has come out to the public," he added.
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