No plans to look at Nicola Bulley case, press regulator Ipso says

The press watchdog said it was not currently planning to launch an editorial standards investigation into the coverage of Nicola Bulley's disappearance.

Ms Bulley, 45, disappeared in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, while walking her dog and her body was found 23 days later.

A coroner found she drowned after accidentally falling into cold water.

Her family have criticised sections of the media for its coverage.

Lancashire Police came under fire for revealing Ms Bulley's struggles with alcohol and perimenopause.

During the huge search, police urged against people fuelling damaging rumours making their job harder and attracting sightseers to the village where she disappeared.

Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) chief executive Charlotte Dewar told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the watchdog was still considering the case.

She said: "We can conduct editorial standards investigation where there are serious and systemic breaches of the Editors' Code.

"I think at this point on this issue we aren't there, but we are very actively looking at it.

"And of course, should it be clear that that has transpired then then we would take that step."

Ms Dewar was shown some examples of media coverage and was asked if she was happy that certain headlines were not an intrusion into Ms Bulley's family.

"I haven't said that," the Ipso boss said.

She added: "We look very specifically at individual instances of concern.

"We were in touch with family liaison officers who were representing the family and other public bodies involved.

"We've given a very clear opportunity and been very, very open that we'd like to engage with them about their concerns, but at this point, there's nothing active."

Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, said there was "no evidence" to suggest Ms Bulley intended to take her own life.

He said she would have had to have had "sufficient knowledge of cold water shock to realise as to how rapidly a death may occur as otherwise she may be spotted and saved".

Speaking after the inquest findings, Ms Bulley's family said they still received "negative targeted messages" on social media, as well as seeing "wildly inaccurate speculation" on a number of platforms months after her death.

They added: "The last few months have been extremely tough to process for our family.

"The emotional impact will stay long in our hearts and whilst we will never forget the loss of our Nikki, we will forever remember her as a brilliant mum, partner, daughter and sister that we all knew and loved so very much."

TikTok sleuths also descended on St Michael's on Wyre and her family hit out at the "appalling" speculation surrounding over her private life during the search.

Ms Bulley, who worked as a mortgage adviser, was last seen walking her springer spaniel Willow after dropping off her two daughters, aged six and nine, at school on 27 January.

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