Arrest made over filming past police cordon in Nicola Bulley search

A man has been arrested over footage shot from inside a police cordon on the day the body of Nicola Bulley was found in the River Wyre in Lancashire.

The 34-year-old man from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, was arrested on suspicion of malicious communications offences and perverting the course of justice in connection with the investigation to find Ms Bulley, Lancashire Constabulary said.

The arrest relates to footage taken from inside a police cordon on February 19. The force said that the footage was then posted online.

The man was held on Wednesday morning with assistance from West Mercia Police, and has since been released on bail with conditions.

“Our priority is, and has always been, to support Nicola’s family and the wider community in St Michael’s. We hope this arrest provides reassurance that we take concerns seriously and will act on them,” Lancashire Constabulary said.

It comes following reports of a number of apparent content creators descending on the village where Ms Bulley went missing.

Experts have claimed social media algorithms that reward and encourage controversial content fuelled the waves of online interest in Ms Bulley’s case.

During the investigation, Detective superintendent Rebecca Smith said social media users had been “playing their own private detectives”.