The sexist narrative around Nicola Bulley is despicable

Nicola Bulley's menopause and alcohol intake may have nothing to do with her going missing, but they have everything to do with the police's continued female victim-blaming.

- CHARLOTTE PROUDMAN

In a time when trust in the police is at an all-time low, and their treatment of women is under a microscope, Lancashire Police decided to issue a statement on Wednesday saying they wanted to put an end to public speculation about Bulley's vulnerabilities. In what can only be described as a grave error of judgment, Lancashire Police told the entire world that Bulley is menopausal and has "alcohol issues". Rather than calming the situation down, the police added further fuel to the speculation fire. It looks like the police are deflecting attention away from criticisms of their own police investigation and their failure to locate Bulley.

As if Bulley's disappearance wasn't already harrowing enough for her family and friends, the police seem to have insinuated that she is somehow to blame for going missing, leaving people asking whether Bulley was mentally unstable and therefore she should be written off as another "mad woman". It is not clear how the police are justifying such a serious invasion of Bulley's privacy, which could be extremely harmful, especially for her safety. This would never have happened if Ms Bulley was a man.