June 27th 2023.
Today, the inquest into the death of Nicola Bulley came to an end when Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley returned his final conclusion. He ruled that her death was accidental, as she had accidentally fallen into the river and suffered from 'cold water shock'. The coroner had been urged to return a conclusion of accidental death by the family's barrister, Sophie Cartwright KC.
Dr Adeley reminded those present that this inquest was not dealing with the police operational response to Nicola's disappearance. At the conclusion of the inquest, the family will be giving a statement.
It was on January 27th that Nicola Bulley had gone for her usual dog walk along the River Wyre in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire. Sadly, she never returned and her body was found on February 19th. During the search for her, the family had to repeatedly ask the public to show respect after strangers tried to get too close to the investigation.
At the two day inquest, which began at County Hall in Preston, Lancashire on Monday, Professor Michael Tipton, an expert on the effects of falling into cold water, gave evidence. He spoke about how a typical response to plunging into a river where the temperature was 10C or below was to 'gasp' and inhale one or two litres of water. Commenting on Nicola's build and the heavy outdoor clothing she was wearing on the day she went missing, he said: ‘It would only take one or two breaths to cross the lethal dose for drowning.’
During the inquest, Nicola's partner Paul Ansell gave evidence and paid a touching tribute to the mother-of-two. He said: 'Nikki was an incredible mum, she was an amazing mum'. The family's lawyer also read out a statement which paid tribute to Nicola's love for the outdoors, saying: 'She adored nothing more than a walk with Willow in the countryside or a family walk in the hills followed by a nice meal out'.
Paul also said that the night before she went missing, Nicola was 'full of beans' and that after suffering from a mental health 'blip' over Christmas, she was 'back to her usual self and everything was on the up'. He also said that he believes she went to put a harness on her dog shortly before falling into the River Wyre.
The inquest was a heartbreaking event for Nicola's family, but the coroner's conclusion of accidental death provides some closure for them. It is clear that Nicola was an incredible mother and will be sadly missed.
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