Nicola Bulley inquest live: Mother-of-two died after falling into River Wyre in freezing temperatures

Back in late April, police revealed why officers had returned to the scene of Nicola Bulley’s disappearance, and hit out at “misinformed speculation” over the renewed presence of officers on the River Wyre.

A Lancashire Constabulary diving team was recently seen in the water downstream from where police believe Ms Bulley, 45, went into the river in St Michael’s on Wyre on 27 January.

In a brief clip uploaded to YouTube by passerby Maria Solarz, the team could be seen wading in the water close to the bench where Ms Bulley’s phone and dog were found on the morning of her disappearance.

My colleague Liam James had the report:

Proceedings have begun into the death of the 45-year-old and it has already revealed she was not under the influence of alcohol and there is “no evidence” she was assaulted or harmed.

The coroners’ court heard from neighbours who had seen Ms Bulley earlier on January 27 and also water experts who explained the effect of winter waters on the body.

In the hearing on Monday it was also said that her dog had been seen in a “giddy” state when spotted by another walker while the mother had been due to join friends for drinks.

My colleague William Mata has more:

Lancashire Police have previously said Nicola Bulley may have gone into the water due to an “issue” with her springer spaniel dog, Willow, and encouraged the public not to speculate.

Despite this, the community was forced to contend with DIY investigations from members of the public beyond what the police were attempting.

Her body was found on February 19 and the identification of her body was made by dental records and confirmed by Lancashire Constabulary the day after.

Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, said the inquest would deal with only “proportionate evidence from reliable sources and not to explore all the theories by those who contributed to social media”.

The coroner added: “At the centre of this inquest are two children who have lost their mother, a partner, and parents who have lost a daughter.”

The diving specialist who led a private search for Nicola Bulley in Lancashire has said he has not been asked to give evidence at her inquest.

Peter Faulding, CEO of Specialist Group International (SGI), who had assisted police with previous missing persons investigations, was asked by Bulley’s family to help with the search after she disappeared near her home in St Michael’s on Wyre in January.

His team spent three days scanning a three-mile stretch of the River Wyre using sonar equipment, but did not find any trace of the mother-of-two in the section of the river they searched.

Lucy Skoulding reports.

Nicola Bulley’s Fitbit gave a heart output eight days after she drowned, an inquest into her death heard.

The 45-year-old mortgage adviser disappeared on 27 January after dropping her two daughters, aged six and nine, at school and then taking her springer spaniel Willow for a walk along the river in St Michael’s on Wyre.

Her body was found on 19 February in the river about a mile from the bench where her phone was recovered.

The Fitbit was still attached to her wrist and is believed to have lost power on 4 February as no further data had been obtained beyond that point, Mirror reported.

On 27 January between 8am and 9.30am, the Fitbit recorded 4,548 steps. After 09.30, no further steps were recorded by the device.

C Keith Greenhalgh told the first day of the inquest that a possible reason behind the Fitbit continuing to provide output sporadically until 4 February could be a “result of the movement of water passing between the device and Nicola’s wrist.

“Testing on inanimate objects provided similar results when there was a movement in the water.”

Home Office pathologist Alison Armour said: “I conclude the cause of death as drowning. The lungs themselves showed classical features we see in drownings. In my opinion Nicola Bulley was alive when she entered the water.”

The coroner asked if there was any evidence of third-party involvement in Ms Bulley’s death, to which Dr Armour said, in her opinion, “there was not”. She also added there was no evidence Ms Bulley had been harmed by a third-party.

Police underwater search specialist Matthew Thackray told the inquest that Ms Bulley fell into the River Wyre before floating downstream.

He said: “There is a large vertical slope from the bench and into the water. On the day there was a steady flow downstream. The river was 4C, so almost freezing, and if she fell in the muscles would probably seize making it difficult to swim properly.”

He estimated she would have floated at a “metre a second” downstream.

Mother-of-two Nicola Bulley could have started drowning within seconds of entering the cold river where her body was found, the inquest into her death has heard.

Professor Michael Tipton, a world expert in drowning, said there would have been a “fairly rapid incapacitation” after Ms Bulley went into the River Wyre on the morning of 27 January.

It may have been just seconds before she began to lose consciousness, the hearing was told yesterday.

More here.

With the second day of the inquest set to take place on Tuesday, my colleague Holly Evans has this comprehensive report on Monday’s proceedings:

Nicola Bulley was alive when she entered the water of the River Wyre and was not under the influence of alcohol, an inquest has heard.

Giving evidence at the two-day hearing, Home Office pathologist Dr Alison Armour said there is “no evidence” that Nicola Bulley was assaulted or harmed as her cause of death was confirmed as drowning.

The 45-year-old mortgage adviser disappeared on 27 January after dropping her two daughters, aged six and nine, at school and then taking her springer spaniel Willow for a walk along the river in St Michael’s on Wyre.

Holly Evans reports.

The second day of the inquest is set to hear from Nicola Bulley’s GP, her sister Louise Cunningham and her husband Paul Ansell.

Here is everything we learned on Monday.