Nicola Bulley inquest: Live updates as two-day hearing into mum-of-two's death takes place in Preston

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Over the next two days Nicola Bulley’s family will hope to learn more about her final movements.

The mother-of-two’s disappearance in January while walking her dog along the River Wyre sparked unprecedented public and media attention. Her body was found in the water on February 19.

Now, over the next two days at County Hall in Preston, the circumstances around her death will be examined by Lancahire’s Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley.

We’ll keep you across the very latest. Proceedings begin at 10am and are expected to carry on into tomorrow.

Around 100 people are expected to be in attendance over the next couple of days including family, friends, expert witnesses and the media.

Inquests set out to answer four key questions. Who the deceased was, when and where they died, the medical cause of their death and how they came by their death.

The focus is usually on the final question. Inquest hearings are based entirely around facts and do not deal with blame or responsibility. They are important to establish answers for bereaved families and can also serve to highlight lessons that need to be learned in future cases.

An underwater forensic expert involved in the search for Nicola Bulley has spoken out ahead of an inquest into the tragic mum-of-two's death.

Peter Faulding, CEO of Specialist Group International (SGI), helped search the River Wyre in St Michael’s after Ms Bulley disappeared while walking her dog on the morning of January 27.

He later faced criticism for fuelling speculation following his many TV appearances in which he repeatedly raised doubts about the police theory that Nicola entered the river, claiming details in the case “don’t add up”.

His comments led to a fractured relationship with Lancashire Police, with the force suggesting that such statements had contributed to the spread of ‘misinformed speculation’ on social media.

In his latest statement he sets out to “clarify questions from the press and public” and states how he has had no contact with Lancashire Police or the coroner tasked with investigating how exactly Ms Bulley came to her death.

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When the inquest was opened and adjourned in February, Dr James Adeley said a hospital consultant had identified her body from dental records provided by Nicola’s surgery in Great Eccleston.

Arrangements were also made for the hearing in June, with the intervening four months allowing for the facts of the case to be established and for experts who will be used to “finalise their findings”.

Police divers were spotted in the River Wyre on April 4 and a brief clip was uploaded to YouTube, prompting speculation about the activity on social media.

A Lancashire police spokesman said: “There has been misinformed speculation over the past few days relating to police activity in the River Wyre.

“As previously stated, police divers were acting under instruction of HM Senior Coroner and had been asked to assess the riverbanks in the vicinity of where Nicola Bulley went missing.

“They had not been tasked either to perform any further searches within the river or along the banks or to locate any articles. This activity is to assist with the coronial process.”

In terms of the ‘how a person came by their death’ question, coroners can give a conclusion.

These are often also described as a ‘verdict’ and can include labels such as ‘natural causes’ or ‘accidental death’. Coroners do not however have to use them and can create new ones or simply write a narrative of the facts of the case.

Either way, these tough events can ultimately bring closure for bereaved families.

Proceedings begin in just under an hour. Reporter Brian Ellis explains what to expect over the next couple of days.

People are still filing into County Hall meaning we’ll start a little later than planned.

Among tomorrow’s witnesses are Nicola Bulley’s partner and sister.

Paul Ansell and Louise Cunningham are both listed as scheduled to appear at the end of the two days.

As we wait for proceedings to begin, a reminder of what we know of the day Nicola Bulley disappeared - January 27.

8.26am – Ms Bulley left her home with her two daughters, aged six and nine, dropping them off at school and engaging in a brief conversation with another parent around 15 minutes later.

8.43am – She then took her spaniel, Willow, for a walk along the path by the River Wyre.

8.50am – A dog walker who knew her saw her, and their pets interacted briefly before they parted ways.

8.53am – Ms Bulley sent an email to her boss, followed by a message to her friends six minutes later.

9.01am – She logs on to a work Microsoft Teams call.

9.10am – Last known sighting of Ms Bulley by a second witness.

9.20am – Her phone was back in the area of the bench before the Teams call ended 10 minutes later, with her mobile remaining logged on after the call.

9.33am – Another dog walker found her phone on a bench beside the river, with her dog darting between the two.

10.50am – Ms Bulley’s family and the school attended by her children were told about her disappearance. Police are called and she is deemed a “high risk” missing person.

As people continue to file into the chamber at County Hall, Nicola Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell is the latest to take his seat.

Lancashire’s Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley begins with a message to the family and friends of Nicola.

“I am sorry you attend the court in these circumstances.”

He then clarifies what he should refer to the mum-of-two as during proceedings, with the family requesting she is called “Nikki” over the next couple of days.

Dr Adeley makes it clear that he will be dealing in facts of the case - with the hearing in no way designed to address any social media theories.

It will also not deal with the Lancashire Police investigation. That is the the subject of a separate inquiry.

Dr Adeley confirms extra security measures are in place at the inquest, given the unprecedented level of social media interest in the case in January and Februrary.

He’s also taken the unusual step of warning anyone who does disrupt the inquest they may be in contempt of court.

Dr Alison Armour the Home Office pathologist, is now going to give evidence.

A warning at this point that some detail in this feed may be extremely sensitive as it will go into detail about Nicola Bulley’s death.

Dr Armour says that in her examination Nicola’s face, particualrly her forehead, and hair were covered in mud.

She had a wound to the bridge of her nose and eye but evidence suggests that came post mortem.

Nicola had a very small amount of alcohol in her system, Dr Armour continues, but it’s consistent with a post mortem process involving bacteria.

“At the time of her death she had no alcohol in her bloodstream,” asks Dr Adeley. “That’s my opinion,” confirms Dr Armour.

Dr Armour concludes that the cause of death based on her evidence is drowning.

“She was alive when she entered the water.”

No indication she was assaulted or harmed or of any third party involvement, confirms Dr Armour.