‘The database is subject to continual review and its purpose is to maintain a list of expertise UK law enforcement can draw upon when required’
The outspoken specialist diver involved in the search for Nicola Bulley has been reportedly been removed from the National Crime Agency’s list of experts.
Peter Faulding, who was critical of police before, during and after the mum-of-two was found on 19 February, claimed he would find the 45-year-old “immediately” if she was in the River Wyre, near where she was last seen walking her dog on January 27.
Faulding and his Specialist Group International (SGI) used a “state of the art” scanner to comb a three-mile stretch of the river between St Michael’s and Cartford Bridge, where Nicola was thought to have fallen in, but failed to find any trace of her after three days.
He then pulled out of the search, declaring Nicola was not “was not in that section of the river”, before later rejoining it, searching for spots where she may have been buried.
Twenty three days after the mortgage adviser went missing, dog walkers spotted a body about a mile from where Nicola was last seen. It was later confirmed to be Nicola.
The Times reports that SGI has now been suspended while a review is carried out.
This week, SGI was allegedly dropped from an official list of experts recommended to assist in investigations on the Expert Advisers database.
A National Crime Agency spokesperson told the publication that it “does not employ, endorse or accredit experts” on its adviser database.
A spokesperson continued: “The database is subject to continual review and its purpose is to maintain a list of expertise UK law enforcement can draw upon when required.
“We proactively seek feedback from customers regarding experts’ performance and contribution.
“The monitoring of performance equally applies to individuals and organisations who become involved in investigations without NCA engagement.”
After Nicola was found, Faulding, 60, said he was unable to find her as his £55,000 sonar can only scan the water and cannot travel through reeds, where she was discovered.
He defended his team’s efforts and appeared to blame the police, who had searched for several weeks without success.
“The police underwater search teams and land search teams were searching for three full weeks and were also unable to find Nicola,” he said.
Faulding added that a riverbank and wade search “would be the only way to search this area and we were not involved or tasked with that search”.
Related links:
- Pressure grows to launch probe into Lancashire Police for failing to find Nicola Bulley for 23 days
- Family of Nicola Bulley slam media after missing body is identified
- Police confirm body found in river is that of missing mum Nicola Bulley
- Diving expert who searched for Nicola Bulley appears to blame police for failing to find her
- ‘Agony’ for Nicola Bulley’s family as they await identification of body found in search for missing mum
- Dog walker who found Nicola Bulley’s phone speaks out for the first time
- Lancashire police to be questioned over Nicola Bulley case
- Nicola Bulley’s friend says police shared her alcohol struggles to ‘shift focus’ off them
