Nicola Bulley’s family beg social media sleuths to leave them alone as death ruled an accident

Nicola Bulley’s family have begged social media sleuths to leave them alone after a coroner ruled she died accidentally.

The mother of two, 45, vanished while walking her springer spaniel Willow on Jan 27 near St Michael’s on Wyre, in Lancashire, sparking one of the most high-profile and controversial missing person searches in recent times.

At her inquest in County Hall, in Preston, on Tuesday, senior coroner Dr James Adeley recorded an accidental death, saying there was “no evidence” of suicide or third-party involvement.

He ruled: “On 27 January 2023 at around 9.22am Nicola Jane Bulley fell into the River Wyre close to St Michaels and died almost immediately.”

She died “within seconds” after falling down a near-vertical bank into the river, in which the water was just 3.6C and more than four metres deep, likely from cold water shock, the ruling said.

Ms Bulley was not found until three weeks later by a member of the public, more than a mile downstream. The case sparked frenzied conspiracy theories on sites such as TikTok and even saw some members of the public digging up woodland near where she was last seen and confronting residents.

The verdict prompted the mortgage advisor’s family to condemn “wildly inaccurate speculation being shared over numerous platforms” five months on, including “upsetting… negative targeted messages” still being sent to them.

Their solicitor Terry Wilcox said in a statement on their behalf: “We encourage people to look at the facts, the evidence which has been heard during the inquest, and the conclusion reached by the Coroner, to ignore any amateur views and opinions, and be mindful of the impact words bring.”

It was revealed during the inquest that Ms Bulley told her GP her “brain was overloaded” while taking HRT medication for the menopause and her family called an ambulance over alcohol-linked “concerns for her welfare” just sixteen days before she disappeared.

Dr Rebecca Gray, Ms Bulley’s doctor at Eccleston Health Centre, said on Tuesday she had paused taking HRT twice after suffering headaches, low mood and sleep deprivation.

Her older sister, Louise Cunningham, told the inquest that Ms Bulley was “absolutely fuming” after she called an NHS mental health crisis ambulance consisting of police, paramedics and a mental health clinician, Dr Theresa Lewis Leevy, to her home on Jan 10.

Ms Bulley said she was “not wishing to be here” and was intoxicated, Dr Leevy said, adding she provided her advice on alcohol use.

Ms Cunningham said this was a “wake-up call” for her sister, who had also been taking antidepressants, but “was just getting back into a routine of working again” and had resumed HRT when she vanished.

She said her sister’s dog Willow was “like her third child” and wept as she described arranging a spa day the night before Ms Bulley died and sending her a text that morning, “but she never picked up the message”.

‘Everything on the up’

The inquest was halted for ten minutes when Paul Ansell, her partner of 12 years, became overcome with emotion as he said she was “looking forward to the future and everything was on the up” and “normal” the morning of her death.

Following a “blip” over the Christmas period, she was “excited” about new business deals and ready for a busy weekend of playdates and gymnastics with her young daughters Sophia and Harriet.

Meanwhile, Ms Bulley’s parents Ernest and Dot described a “lovely evening” with their daughter the night before her death, with her last words being about “closing this deal off” at work.

Paying tribute to his daughter, a tearful Ernest Bulley said: “She was a great daughter, sister and mother – we couldn’t ask for any more from her.”

In his verdict, the coroner Dr Adeley acknowledged that the position of Willow’s dog harness on the ground between the bench and riverbank was “unexplained on the balance of probabilities”, but Mr Ansell said they normally removed the harness in the fields.

The coroner also dismissed claims in two witness statements of hearing gasping screams in the vicinity of the river that morning, saying “Nikki was probably already dead” at this point.

He drew on evidence from drowning experts throughout the inquest and FitBit data showing her heart rate spiked at 9.22am and she last interacted with her phone at 9.18am.

Cold water shock

Dr Adeley concluded she died from drowning through cold water shock which triggered “a substantial release of adrenaline, rapid gasping”, a “rapid elevation of heart rate and blood pressure”, with a “lethal dose” of two litres of water likely inhaled in her “first gasp” after falling in.

He added that “she had no alcohol in her bloodstream” and said the RNLI charity’s Float to Live campaign on cold water shock “may save the lives of other people”.

In a statement to the media outside the court afterwards, Detective Chief Superintendent Pauline Stables from Lancashire Police demanded an “end to ill-informed speculation and conspiracy theories” about Ms Bulley’s death “which have been so damaging to Nikki’s family and the community of St Michael’s”.

However, she did not take any questions or address the controversy over the unsuccessful police search and her force releasing Ms Bulley’s private medical information during it.

The police response is still being investigated separately by the College of Policing.

03:58 PM BST

Live blog has now closed

We are now closing live updates of the Nicola Bulley inquest.

The main points following the conclusion of the two-day inquest are:

• Coroner records death as accidental

• Family say they still receive “negative targeted messages”

• Police say findings should put end to damaging conspiracy theories

Thank you for following and good bye.

03:38 PM BST

Nicola Bulley family statement in full

03:33 PM BST

Lancashire Police statement in full

Detective Chief Superintendent Pauline Stables, Head of Crime at Lancashire Constabulary

03:20 PM BST

Lancashire Police - 'We hope findings put an end to damaging conspiracy theories'

In a short statement from Lancashire Police, Detective Chief Superintendent Pauline Stables demanded an “end to ill-informed speculation and conspiracy theories” about Nicola Bulley’s death.

She said following the verdict that her family have been through “an unimaginable ordeal over the last six months”.

She added: “I hope that HM Coroner’s clear findings will put an end to ill informed speculation and conspiracy theories which have been so damaging to Nikki’s family and the community of St Michael’s.”

She did not take any questions or address the controversy around the police search and releasing Ms Bulley’s private medical information during it.

03:16 PM BST

Family statement - 'Upsetting we continue to receive negative messages'

The statement continues: “Sadly we feel the need to again raise and address the issue of social media - it is upsetting that we have continued to receive negative messages... and wild inaccurate speculation continues on various platforms.

“We encourage people to look at the facts, evidence heard in the inquest and the coroner’s verdict.”

They said they ask people to “Ignore any amateur views and opinions and be mindful of the impact that words can bring.”

They added: “We now need to be allowed time to process the events of this day.”

03:15 PM BST

Family statement - Nicola will be remembered as 'brilliant mum, partner, daughter and sister'

In a press conference following the verdict, Terry Wilcox, the solicitor for Nicola Bulley’s family, hit out at “amateur” conspiracy theorists.

Mr Wilcox said on behalf of the family: “The last few months have been extremely tough to process for our family the emotional impact will stay long in our hearts and while we will never forget the loss.”

The family remembered Ms Bulley as a “Brilliant mum, partner, daughter and sister while we all knew and loved so very much”.

They also said the “Love and support” they have received “has meant more than words can say”.

The statement added: “Nikki and Paul’s girls have already taken great comfort in the deeply thoughtful gifts sent to them in goodwill.”

03:03 PM BST

Coroner - 'Almost impossible to swim against current'

It was also “almost impossible to swim against the current” in the section of river where Ms Bulley fell in which was 4.6 metres deep with a flow rate on the day of one metre per second, the coroner said in his ruling.

The river remained too deep to stand up for a further 40 metres downstream, which would have taken two to three minutes to reach.

On the day Ms Bulley fell in, “the flow over the weir was 0.49 metres -- almost double that of the day PC Thackray (a police diver who gave evidence) was in river, when 30cm above the river was sufficient to carry him over the weir, albeit with increased buoyancy from his diving suit”.

02:58 PM BST

Drowning recorded as cause of death

The coroner said that the cause of death was drowning, likely from cold water shock.

He said “the water temperature of 3.6C would have elicited a powerful response in Nikki” and “the type of clothing Nikki was wearing for a dog walk would not have slowed the effects of cold water shock”.

Referring to evidence heard from drowning experts, the coroner Dr James Adeley said this “could have caused heart to stop immediately, drowning within seconds” with a “rapid” rush of adrenaline caused by receptors under the surface of the skin triggering a reflex of high heart rate and blood pressure.

“If underwater when taking the first gasp, Nikki could have inhaled two litres of water which for a person of Nikki’s size would have been a lethal dose,” the coroner added.

While there was “a good chance the first breath would have been underwater”, even if the first gasp was above the surface of the water after falling in, Ms Bulley “would have lost consciousness in a maximum of 48 seconds but this the two experts said this was highly optimistic ... (likely) approximately 30 secs and the last 10 seconds of this being of increasingly impaired consciousness”.

02:54 PM BST

Coroner - Ms Bulley probably already dead when screams heard

Addressing the claim from two people who saw Ms Bulley on the morning of her disappearance in their evidence to the inquest that they heard screams, the coroner said that “by the time these ladies heard the scream, Nikki was probably already dead” and this was irrelevant.

Dr Adeley also said that “no eyewitnesses noticed anybody suspicious in the area of the field” and there was “no one unusual in the vicinity contemporaneously with Nikki’s chosen route” on CCTV.

He also confirmed there was “no alcohol in her bloodstream” at the time of death.

02:50 PM BST

Coroner - No evidence to say third party was involved

The coroner added that there was “no evidence to support that any third party was involved in Nikki’s death”.

He also discounted any verdict of suicide, saying there was “no indication of any intention to take her own life”.

Dr James Adeley said also that “the (dog) harness being dropped halfway between the bench and river is unusual, it is also unexplained on the balance of probabilities”.

He added: “My view is Nikki arrived at the bench having taken 273 steps after 9.15am, the last interaction Nikki mde with her phone was 9.18am, at 9.22am Nikki’s FitBit recorded significant spike in heart rate consistent with cold water shock”.

02:43 PM BST

Accidental death recorded

An accidental death verdict has been recorded.

02:43 PM BST

Coroner notes timings on morning Ms Bulley disappeared

In summing up, Dr Adeley tells the inquest: “There is a maximum window of time of 15 minutes between the last known time Nikki was alive and when she was not present in the area of the bench.”

He makes clear the following timings are significant:

• Ms Bulley leaves the house around 8.30am

• She was last seen alive by a fellow dog walker at 9.10am on her second lap of a field next to the River Wyre

• By 9.20am her phone was located by three handset “pings” to the area of the bench

• In the 15 minute window between 9.15am and 9.30am, her FitBit Versa 4 device recorded 273 steps -- “a substantial reduction from the previous one hour and fifteen minutes where she averaged 855 steps for each fifteen minutes”

• At 9.18am, her FitBit recorded “a significant spike in the heart rate”.

• Also at 9.18am, Nikki also “adjusted the volume on her phone (turning it up), presumably in relation to the work Teams call she joined just after 9am”.

• The FitBit recorded no further steps after 9.30am

02:28 PM BST

Coroner summing up

Coroner Dr James Adeley is currently summing up the evidence before delivering a verdict.

02:05 PM BST

Police to release Nicola Bulley statement

Lancashire Police are expected to issue a statement following the inquest.

01:25 PM BST

Nicola Bulley inquest: Day two recap

As we await for the inquest to resume at 2pm following the conclusion of evidence in the inquest of Nicola Bulley, here are the main points from the proceedings on Tuesday morning

• Nicola Bulley’s HRT medication ‘overloaded her brain’, GP tells inquest

• Concerned family called NHS days before disappearance

• Inquest paused as partner becomes overcome with emotion

• Family ask coroner to record accidental death verdict

We will return with live updates after 2pm.

12:20 PM BST

Inquest adjourns

The inquest has now adjourned until 2pm when the coroner is expected to sum up and deliver his verdict

12:17 PM BST

Family - Nikki likely died from single gasp of water

Ms Bulley’s family say it is their view, based on the evidence, that Ms Bulley likely died from a single gasp of water after falling in the River Wyre.

They also highlight another point heard in police digital forensic evidence to her inquest that Ms Bulley increased the volume on her mobile conference call at 9.18am.

Their legal team say in their closing statement: “We say the evidence completely supports accidental death - she was emailing a colleague about a mortgage at 8.53am, receiving messages about a spa day, sending a text message about a play date.

“She received the zoom call in a field which it was clear was busy with dog walkers, many of whom had seen her walking that day. It is clear from the evidence that at 9.18am Nikki increased the volume on that phone and in some way what happened after 9.18am must have been linked to the dog harness found on the steep riverbank between then and 9.30am.

“You have the clear evidence that Willow was Nikki’s third child, you also know Nikki had her car keys in her pocket, so the evidence from Prof Tipton and Dr Morgan, as well as PC Thackray the police diver, of the impact of cold water shock.

“The evidence given to you on the balance of probability is that Nikki likely, when one looks at the layout of the ground, would have gone under the water and as a result that first gasp would have been the lethal dose.”

12:15 PM BST

Family - Evidence allays social media rumours

The Bulley family have also condemned TikTok and social media sleuths and conspiracists, who dominated the three-week search for the 45-year-old.

In their closing statement, their legal team tell the coroner: “There has been much rumour and suspicion and speculation in relation to Nikki’s death particularly bearing in mind the time taken to found the body.. but the family are very clear of the view that that rumour and suspicion is allayed completely when one looks at all the evidence.

“Particularly Fitbit data shows she stopped between 9.15am and 9.30am. So the family are clear that Nikki’s death would have taken place very shortly after she entered the water and are comforted that it would have taken place in a matter of seconds, certainly less than 30 seconds.”

12:09 PM BST

Family - Screams have 'no relevance' to Nikki's death

The Bulley family have also asked in their closing statement for coroner Dr James Adeley to dismiss evidence from two eyewitnesses who told the court they heard screams near a graveyard at around the time Ms Bulley went missing.

Their legal team say: “The family submission to you is plainly ... the timing and location of those screams in conjunction with the other evidence, you can dismiss those screams as irrelevant and would like you to make a finding of fact that those screams do not have relevance to her death.”

12:07 PM BST

Family ask coroner to record accidental death verdict

Lawyers representing Ms Bulley’s family have asked the coroner to record a verdict of accidental death during a closing statement to the inquest.

They told the court: “We make a submission of accidental death, informed by the eyewitness evidence, the pathological evidence, the toxicical evidence, the phone interrogation and evidence, the assistance you can have from the Fitbit data.

“Also, and significantly sir, the expert evidence you have received and in particular the evidence yesterday from Prof Tipton and Dr Morgan.

“Very likely at 9.30am, Nicola Bulley died on the balance of probability in the river from accidental death.”

12:03 PM BST

'We couldn't ask for any more from her': Evidence concludes with father's tribute

Ms Bulley’s father Ernest pays tribute to his daughter to conclude the final evidence session of the two-day inquest.

Ernest Bulley says: “As a child she was lovely, a little ballerina she always danced around, she was great. As a teenager, she wasn’t any trouble, she was at the college trying to become a make up artist which she studied at college, she was good as a daughter. She met a boyfriend in the college then moved up to Lancashire.

“She was a great daughter, sister and mother - we couldn’t ask for any more from her.”

11:59 AM BST

Father - Last words were about 'closing deal'

Ms Bulley’s father Ernest reveals the last words Ms Bulley said to him and the final hug they shared before she vanished.

Describing the night before Ms Bulley went missing, she said: “She did say because she had this important meeting whether we could stay later, until after 7pm, which we said was fine no problem.

“Nicola came back into the kitchen as the evening went on, from the work station, just after 7pm and we asked if all ok - she said: “It was a great day, went really well, I think I’m going to close this deal off.”

“She put so much into it after those exams, it wasn’t easy to combine together with her family, but we knew she could do it. We said ‘right we’re going to shoot off now’, she was messing around with something in the kitchen, we moved towards the front door, Nicola joined us.

“She was full of it, she was really happy and she appreciated that we stayed a bit later so she could do what she had to do. As Dorothy said, we gave her a kiss and hug. It was just another lovely evening.”

11:54 AM BST

Mother - 'Everything was normal before Nicola went missing'

Ms Bulley’s mother Dot is asked about what Ms Bulley was like on the night before she vanished, saying “everything was just normal”.

Dot says: “We always pick the girls up on the evening, we picked them up as usual and went back – Nikki had asked if we could stay a bit later that evening as she had a Zoom call with a client. Everything was just as normal, we sorted the girls out.

“Before we went home, we just acknowledged Nicola if it was okay to go now, we went to the front door and said goodbye as we usually do and kissed Nicola.”

11:48 AM BST

Ms Bulley's parents give evidence

Mr Ansell confirms Ms Bulley had resumed taking HRT for the menopause and stopped drinking when she went missing.

He concludes his evidence by saying: “Anyone that saw her would not have thought anything happened... If you didn’t know Nikki, anybody who met her would still have loved her.”

Nicola Bulley’s family solicitor has asked the coroner if her parents Ernest and Dot can give evidence too -- they were not listed to do so.

The request has been accepted with the couple visibly emotional.

11:42 AM BST

Partner - Ms Bulley was in 'amazing spirits' hours before she vanished

Nicola Bulley’s partner Mr Ansell has now returned to the chamber after being led out in tears.

Ms Bulley had come home in “amazing spirits” the night before she vanished, Mr Ansell says.

Describing the day before she disappeared, he says: “It was a big meeting, she had worked hard to build the business up over the past year.

“They were working on all the things she had planned this year to generate the business together.

“She spent that afternoon at Love Homes going through all these plans with them and she came home in really amazing spirits because of what had been discussed and the plans Love Homes wanted to do with her.”

Describing the online conference call that Ms Bulley’s phone was found still logged into, Mr Ansell says that Ms Bulley “always listened to it on speaker phone - no headphones”. Ms Bulley was muted on the call.

11:35 AM BST

Inquest paused as partner breaks down

The inquest has been paused for five minutes after Mr Ansell became overcome with emotion as the family’s solicitor read out his description of Ms Bulley as “enjoying nothing more than a walk in the hills”.

He is being assisted outside the main chamber in Preston’s County Hall by a coroner’s officer and Ms Cunningham, Ms Bulley’s sister.

Ms Bulley’s parents, Ernest and Dot, have remained inside the chamber on the front row and they are also visibly emotional.

11:30 AM BST

Partner - Nikki was due to go on 'mum's night out' day after disappearance

Paul Ansell is now being asked by the family’s solicitor what his partner Nicola Bulley had planned for the day she went missing.

Mr Ansell says: “She had an appointment booked for 11am to do with a mortgage application and she had quite a lot of paperwork to do for a meeting later on, involving a mortgage application as well.”

But he said that “when it got to 10.30am I started to feel a bit concerned”.

Mr Ansell added that “the mums from school were going to go out” on the Saturday night - the day after she went missing - and her daughters had a busy weekend ahead.

Mr Ansell said: “She was excited about taking Sophia for her first speed dancing lesson in Blackpool and Harriet also had a gymnastics competition coming up so that day Harriet was supposed to be at gymnastics practice all day which is why Nikki was arranging a playdate for Sophia and Lucy’s (another mum at school) young daughter.”

11:23 AM BST

Partner asked about dog harness

Mr Ansell is now being asked about why the harness of Ms Bulley’s dog Willow was found next to the bench, rather than on it, with her phone on the bench still logged into a Microsoft Teams conference call for work.

He told the inquest: “We always take the harness off by the gate going into the fields, as being a springer the dog is very erratic. We carry the harness around the field with us and put it back on her when we get back to the gate.”

He added: “She has this conference call every Friday morning. I think she must have put the phone on the bench, carried on listening to it and then forgot to put the harness back on Willow.”

11:20 AM BST

Partner texted Ms Bulley 'have you got lost?' on day she disappeared

Mr Ansell said he sent Ms Bulley a text at 10.30am on the morning she went missing, asking: “Have you got lost?”

He then confirmed he received a call from the school around 10.50am, before Ring Doorbell footage showed him leaving the house at 10.56am to go to the river after members of the public raised the alarm.

11:18 AM BST

Partner - Ms Bulley 'full of beans day before she disappeared'

Asked about the morning Ms Bulley went missing on January 27, Paul Ansell said it was just a “normal” morning and she had a “busy day” ahead.

Mr Ansell said: “She had had a good day the day before, she came home full of beans, excited about the meeting she had had and how the rest of the meeting with the estate agents.

“She had a busy day on the Friday - a meeting planned later that morning and another later that day. I work from home for a US company with a lot of evening work, so I was working late on the Thursday night and got up late on the Friday morning.

“When I got up on Friday Nikki was up and ready to go, the girls were ready for school and everything was good in place.”

Asked if Ms Bulley had expressed any suicidal thoughts, Mr Ansell said: “No, there were a couple of throwaway comments made over the blip period but nothing that gave me any concern.”

11:16 AM BST

Partner - Ms Bulley 'looking forward to the future'

Mr Ansell has said Nicola Bulley was looking forward to reclaiming her independence at the time she disappeared.

He tells the inquest: “There was a blip over the Christmas period, but in January she was back to herself, looking forward to the future and everything was on the up.”

Asked about her mood, Mr Ansell said: “She was doing good, she was getting back into her work, she was excited about ehr work, it was going really well. She has passed her exams, she had spent most of the last year building the business up and was starting to see the rewards of that - generating a lot of business.”

Asked if she was proud of earning her own money, Mr Ansell said: “Yes she was, she was looking forward to getting that independence again.”

11:13 AM BST

Ms Bulley's partner giving evidence

Ms Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell is now giving evidence to the inquest.

11:10 AM BST

Sister says Ms Bulley was 'good' last time she saw her

Ms Cunningham said she last saw Nicola Bulley on Friday, January 13.

Asked how she appeared that day, Ms Cunningham said: “She was good, I’d stayed with her a few days after the incident on the 10th - she was getting back into work mode as she was mindful that the deadline on a finance refresher course was January 20. She completed them and got 90 per cent on both exams.”

She smiled as she recalled their sisterly “nicknames from childhood -- I’m tosh and she’s clacker”.

11:08 AM BST

Sister - 'She never picked up message about spa booking'

Ms Cunningham again wept as she told the inquest her sister did not pick up a message that she had a booked a spa day on the morning she went missing, January 27.

Ms Cunningham said: “On the Thursday evening (January 26) we were discussing the spa day, who is going to book what with the girls and that, then I actually booked it on the morning of the 27th and confirmed that it was booked with her on that morning.

“I literally confirmed it was booked but she never picked up the message.”

At this point the court paused while Ms Cunningham was again comforted by a coroner’s officer.

11:05 AM BST

Sister - Ms Bulley was 'absolutely fuming' I called for help

Nicola Bulley was “absolutely fuming” with her sister for calling the mental health ambulance 16 days before she went missing, the inquest has been told.

Ms Cunningham swaid: “It was a bit of a wake up call for her I think, she was absolutely fuming with me for calling the ambulance and thought I was overreacting and maybe I was.

“But I was her sister and concerned and wanted a professional opinion for peace of mind. I think that was a realisation for her and she was starting to get back to normal.”

10:56 AM BST

Sister - Ms Bulley 'struggled with HRT over Christmas'

Discussing her sister’s problems with the menopause, Ms Cunningham said: “She discussed with me that she was having some issues with HRT - going back to summer time of 2022 - problems and bad headaches.

“She just couldn’t seem to get the balance exactly right to help her with it and she did mention she was having trouble sleeping some nights, so was using herbal tea and lavender spray to try and help relax her before going to bed.”

Ms Bulley stopped taking HRT over the course of both Christmas 2021 -- without her sister knowing -- and Christmas 2022, when her sister did know as she had brought up at a family meal that she was “struggling” again with it.

She added: “She did have a bit of a blip over the Christmas period (of 2022) and come January she was getting back to herself - back to HRT medication, back to work and completely back to normal Nikki.”

10:54 AM BST

Sister - Ms Bulley was 'getting back into work routine'

Dr James Adeley, the senior coroner for Lancashire, asked if Ms Bulley was enjoying her job.

Ms Cunningham said: “Yes she was, obviously it was a big thing she went through - she was a mortgage broker before having a child. She resat all of her exams and passed first time - she was just getting back into a routine of working again, it was absolutely brilliant.”

Asked about her hobbies, Ms Cunningham said: “She didn’t really have hobbies as such, she was quite a simple person really, she liked going on country walks, she liked to read occasionally and she was starting to get into some form of exercise, she was attending a class with other mums.”

Willow was “like her third child”, Ms Cunningham said.

10:50 AM BST

'She's my big sister' - sibling weeps during evidence

Nicola Bulley’s sister Louise Cunningham broke down in tears as she was asked by the coroner to describe who Nicola Bulley was.

“She’s my big sister,” Ms Cunningham said, as she was supported by a coroner’s officer.

“She was very much a planner. She had started her career again as a busy mum, as most are, juggling a career with family life.

“She always had things under control. Every Christmas mum and dad would buy her a springer spaniel calendar and every January she would literally go from the last calendar to the new calendar and colour code everything, she was amazing.”

10:49 AM BST

NHS mental health expert - Suicide not 'directly' addressed to Ms Bulley

NHS mental health clinician Theresa Lewis Leevy told the coroner that she did not “directly” address the topic of suicide with Ms Bulley.

Ms Leevy said: “She had made an appointment to meet with the GP the following day but she couldn’t go to that because she was sorting her mortgage out.

“But we were told by Nicky’s partner that the mortgage was fine and that wasn’t an issue or something that was being dealt with the following day.”

Ms Leevy confirmed that the emergency “mental health crisis” team she is part of has the power to detain someone under the Mental Health Act and remove them from their home, but in this case she just provided advice about alcohol use.

10:43 AM BST

Concerned family called NHS days before disappearance

Nicola Bulley’s family called an urgent NHS mental health team days before she disappeared because they were “concerned for her welfare” as a result of increased alcohol use, the inquest has been told.

Theresa Lewis Leevy, an emergency mental health responder with North Western Ambulance Service, responded to the call at Ms Bulley’s home address along with a police officer and paramedic.

Ms Leevy confirmed to the coroner that Ms Bulley “had made a statement to her children of not wanting to be here but the meaning of that was unclear”.

Ms Leevy told the inquest: “Nicola’s sister called in link with Nicola’s increased alcohol use and they were concerned about this and were looking for support around this.

“We were greeted by Nicola’s partner and sister and showed to the living room where we had conversation about increased alcohol use since Christmas time and a conversation about concerns for Nicola’s welfare from increased alcohol use.”

10:38 AM BST

GP - Ms Bulley had fall after 'struggling to sleep'

Ms Bulley also told her GP she was “struggling with her sleep” while on HRT and felt it was causing “anxiety and low mood”.

For this reason, the estrogen component of HRT was increased, Dr Rebecca Gray said. 

She later attended an NHS walk-in centre as she had “had a fall on the previous evening of January 11 (2022) - which caused a bruise on the back of head”.

“She complained of increased drowsiness and had vomited so was directed to A&E and had a CT (scan to the) head and that was normal,” Dr Gray said.

There was “nothing on the notes (self harm or suicide) of any mention of suicide or self harm”, Dr Gray said.

10:31 AM BST

GP - Ms Bulley said 'brain was overloaded' taking HRT medication

Ms Bulley told her GP “she felt her brain was overloaded” and “appeared quite emotional” while on HRT medication for the menopause, her doctor has told her inquest.

Dr Rebecca Gray said that in March 2021 Ms Bulley “presented with hot flushes and the fact she hadn’t had a period as she would have expected for a number of months”.

Dr Gray told the inquest that a blood test checking hormone levels was “consistent with her being post-menopausal”.

But when Ms Bulley began on HRT in October 2021, a month later “she contacted us a month after starting to say she had had some headaches” and that stopped it over Christmas as “she felt it was causing low mood”.

In January 2022, Dr Gray said Ms Bulley had resumed the medication and “presented with fatigue and that she felt more anxious. In notes she said she had started a new job and was finding that particularly stressful. We put down that the anxiety and fatigue was due to her work”.

10:27 AM BST

Nicola Bulley was taking antidepressants at time of death

The inquest has now resumed with evidence being given by Ms Bulley’s GP.

Dr Rebecca Gray, from Great Eccleston Health Centre, said the 45-year-old mother of two had been taking antidepressants in the years leading up to her death

She had started taking escitalopram in December 2018 as she “presented with low mood and anxiety”. This is an antidepressant medication and she was taking it in a dose of 20mg.

Dr Gray said: “Two Months later in February 2019 she was commenced on propranolol - a beta blocker - which is used in anxiety and predominantly is used when there might be physical symptoms of anxiety, so tremors, things like that.”

She was taking this twice a day, at 40mg, which is lower than the maximum dose of three times a day. She had some of this in her system when her body was found.

09:53 AM BST

Recap: TikTok sleuths warned they face jail for disrupting inquest

TikTok sleuths have been warned they could face prison if they disrupt an inquest into the death of Nicola Bulley as extra security is put in place over social media concerns.

Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, warned any social media commentary on the hearing could amount to contempt of court as he opened proceedings at County Hall in Preston on Monday.

Lancashire Police and the county council have drafted in extra security guards as part of “additional provisions” to ensure all entrances are covered to block any potential intruders.

09:49 AM BST

Recap: Ms Bulley did not drink on day she died despite police claims she "significant issues" with alcohol

Nicola Bulley had not been drinking on the day she died, her inquest has heard, despite police telling the public she had “significant issues” with alcohol linked to the menopause.

Lancashire Constabulary sparked a furious backlash by revealing during the search that the mortgage advisor was “vulnerable” and classed as “high-risk” because she suffered an alcohol crisis after stopping taking HRT, a drug for alleviating symptoms of the menopause.

But on Monday, the first day of the two-day inquest in County Hall, Preston, the Home Office’s pathologist Dr Alison Armour revealed that she had a barely traceable 19 microgrammes of ethanol in her blood, the result of natural decay, and that she effectively had “no alcohol” in her system before she died.

Read more here.

09:47 AM BST

Family expected to give evidence

Good morning, we will be providing live updates on the second and final day of the inquest into the death of Nicola Bulley.

Further witnesses including Ms Bulley’s family members are expected to give evidence on Tuesday with a verdict anticipated at some point this afternoon.