Overview
- Paul Ansell, speaking at a London School of Economics lecture on Monday, said strangers online “psychoanalysed” his interviews and that TikTok scrutiny felt “very intrusive.”
- He recalled how attention escalated during the 23‑day search in early 2023 after Bulley’s phone, still on a Microsoft Teams call, and the family dog were found by a bench beside the River Wyre.
- A June 2023 inquest ruled accidental drowning and heard expert evidence that near‑freezing water can trigger a gasp and swift incapacitation, which can lead to rapid drowning.
- A College of Policing review in November 2023 found Lancashire Police allowed unaccredited influencers into early press briefings and logged a surge in conspiracies and abuse that eroded public trust.
- Ansell remains the primary carer for their two daughters in Lancashire and says he still sees their mother’s mannerisms in them as the family works to protect its privacy.