LAST UPDATE | 16 Feb 2023
A SOCIAL MEDIA influencer has been arrested and fined after joining the search for missing mother Nicola Bulley.
Dan Duffy posted a video of himself being arrested by Lancashire Police officers on his YouTube channel, called Exploring with Danny.
The force said the 36-year-old was handed a fixed penalty notice under section 4 of the Public Order Act – fear or provocation of violence.
Since Bulley went missing, Duffy has posted a number of videos on social media site TikTok, as well as three others on his YouTube channel.
In the arrest video, he said: “Hi guys, I’m being arrested on a public order offence. They’ve had an allegation.
“As you all know I was in search to find the missing woman Nicola but this is what this country’s turning into. No freedom of speech.”
The clip later displays the message: “20 hours in the police station arrested on a public order offence for searching for missing woman Nicola Bulley.”
Bulley vanished after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school on 27 January in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.
She was last seen at 9.10am taking her usual route with her springer spaniel Willow, alongside the River Wyre.
In previous clips posted to his channel, Duffy said he joined the search because he “wants some answers” and there are “a lot of conspiracy theories flying around on the internet”.
The influencer, who has 206,000 subscribers on YouTube, said in a previous video he had “actually been in people’s back gardens at night-time with torches” searching for Bulley.
Police said no other person had been handed a fixed penalty notice in relation to the search for the missing mother of two.
In their statement confirming a fine had been issued to Duffy, police said: “A 36-year-old man from Darwen was arrested under Section 4 of the Public Order Act – Fear/Provocation of Violence. He was given a Fixed Penalty Notice.”
At a press conference yesterday, the lead investigator in the case said that amateur sleuths and social media video-makers have “distracted significantly” from police efforts to find Bulley.
Senior investigating officer Detective Supt Rebecca Smith said her officers were being “inundated with false information, accusations and rumours”, which are “distracting” them from finding Bulley.
“In 29 years’ police service I’ve never seen anything like it,” Smith said.
“Some of it’s been quite shocking and really hurtful to the family.
“Obviously, we can’t disregard anything and we’ve reviewed everything that’s come in but of course it has distracted us significantly.”
Smith said the 45-year-old was designated a “high-risk” missing person because of a “number of specific vulnerabilities”. She said her “main working hypothesis” was still that Bulley fell into the River Wyre.
“As any senior investigating officer does, you form a number of hypotheses – that is scenarios which are possible from the information to hand,” she said.
“Those hypotheses included the one that she possibly could have gone into the river, that there could have been third-party involvement and lastly, that she could have left the area voluntarily.
“Those hypotheses have remained in place throughout, are reviewed regularly.”
In a statement today, Bulley’s family called for an end to the “speculation and rumours” about her private life.
“We, as a family, believe that the public focus has become distracted from finding Nikki, and more about speculation and rumours into her and Paul’s private life,” the family said, in a statement issued through the force.
“As a family, we were aware beforehand that Lancashire Police, last night, released a statement with some personal details about our Nikki,” they said.
“Although we know that Nikki would not have wanted this, there are people out there speculating and threatening to sell stories about her. This is appalling and needs to stop.
“The police know the truth about Nikki and now the public need to focus on finding her,” the statement said.
Concluding their statement, Bulley’s family issued a direct plea for her to return, saying: “Your girls want a cuddle.”
The statement read: “Nikki is such a wonderful daughter, sister, partner and mother and is missed dearly – we all need you back in our lives.
“Nikki, we hope you are reading this and know that we love you so much and your girls want a cuddle. We all need you home.
“You can reach out to us, or you can contact MissingPeople.org.uk. Don’t be scared, we all love you so very much.”
At a press conference on 3 February, Lancashire Police first told the public of their “main working hypothesis” that the mortgage adviser fell in the river during a “10-minute window” between 9.10am and 9.20am that day.
She has still not been found and detectives extended the search for her to the sea on 3 February.
Asked if she hoped to find her alive, Smith said: “I hope with all my heart that we find Nicola Bulley alive more than anything.”
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