Nicola Bulley partner reveals vile messages as he addresses online obsession [Video]

Nicola Bulley’s partner has opened up about the online obsession around her disappearance, calling it a “monster” that got out of control, and has revealed vile messages sent to him by trolls.

Speaking for the first time publicly since Ms Bulley’s death, Paul Ansell said that he and his family initially felt the social media fixation on the case would be beneficial in helping find the missing mother. It was thought that the heightened interest would keep pressure on Lancashire Police to maintain search efforts.

But the online interest soon became damaging, he says, as amateur “sleuths” on social media would share misinformation or ill-informed theories. In the most extreme cases, Mr Ansell would become the target of online hate.