Heartless trolls hack into social media accounts of Nicola Bulley’s partner as cops launch probe
POLICE are investigating after heartless trolls hacked the social media account of Nicola Bulley's partner.
Cops - who have recovered a body in their search for Nicola - said keyboard warriors gained access to Paul Ansell's Pinterest to post explicit photos of women.
Lancashire Police have now launched a probe into the trolls' shameless antics.
A statement said: "Paul Ansell’s Pinterest account has been accessed by a third party and is being closed down.
"We are investigating the matter.”
Read more on missing Nicola
Paul has been targeted by sick web sleuths since partner Nicola, 45, vanished over three weeks ago.
The mum-of-two was last seen in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, at around 9.15am on January 27.
In an interview on Channel 5 programme Vanished: Where is Nicola Bulley? Paul spoke out about the online abuse.
He said: "I have seen some stuff. Most people have been amazing.
“You’re always going to get that two per cent of people that for whatever reason say and do not very nice things.
"But I don’t want to give any energy to that.”
The search for missing Nicola has been overrun with armchair detectives running riot with their wild theories.
Sleuths sparked fury yesterday after a TikTok clip showed them digging up woodland near where the mum vanished.
Another influencer was arrested and charged with a public order offence after a confrontation with a local last week.
It comes amid growing criticism of Lancashire Police's handling of the investigation.
Rishi Sunak has now waded in to express his concern at officers revealing personal information about Nicola.
In a press conference on Wednesday, officers revealed Nicola was classed as high risk due to "specific vulnerabilities".
They later said Nicola had been struggling with alcohol issues and the menopause and had stopped taking HRT medication.
An internal review has now been launched into the investigation by Lancashire Police.
The force has also referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Nicola has been described as white, 5ft 3ins tall with light-brown shoulder-length hair.
She was last seen wearing an ankle-length black quilted gilet jacket with a black Engelbert Strauss waist-length coat underneath and black tight-fitting jeans.
She had long green walking socks tucked into her jeans, ankle-length green Next wellies, a necklace and a pale blue Fitbit on.
Nicola has an Essex accent and links to the Thornton-Cleveleys area near Blackpool.
Anybody with information about where she might be is asked to call 101, quoting log 473 of January 27, or ring 999 for immediate sightings.