'Inhale scream' heard around the time Nicola Bulley went missing, inquest told
Video report by ITV Granada Reports correspondent Rob Smith
The inquest of Nicola Bulley has been told a scream was heard in the village around the time she went missing.
Veronica Claesen, the secretary of the St Michael's tennis club reported hearing a scream around the time Nicola Bulley was reported missing.
Veronica said: "I heard a short scream and I thought someone is having a bit of fun at the back of the graveyard. And then I got in my car and drove off.
"It was a scream like an element of surprise. It was an inhale scream not an exhale scream."
Ms Claesen said she thought it was “children having fun at the back of the graveyard.”
She said it didn’t concern her and sounded more like something that comes from “an element of surprise”.
Helen O'Neill also gave evidence that she heard a scream but says she "didn't think anything of it."
Ms O'Neill said she was with her dogs in the garden of her house on Allotment Lane, not far from a path that leads to the bench overlooking the River Wyre where Ms Bulley disappeared.
Ms O'Neill said she "vividly” remembers a “scream” from the path.
She thought it was girls messing around and said it sounded like “someone jumping out on someone.”
The inquest was also told that Nicola Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell said “she’s struggling” after finding out her phone and dog were discovered by a bench.
Susan Jones, a retired careworker, told the court that at around 10am on 27 January she received a call from Penny Fletcher, who had discovered the family dog Willow and the phone.
She then bumped into Anne-Marie, Ms Fletcher’s daughter-in-law, who recognised a photograph of Ms Bulley and her family on the phone lock screen.
She then rang the local school, before speaking to Ms Bulley’s partner, Paul Ansell.
Ms Jones told the inquest: “Anne-Marie spoke on the phone and said that he (Mr Ansell) said ‘she’s struggling’.”
Kay Kiernan, a friend of Nicola Bulley's says she saw Nikki on the morning of Friday 27 January and spoke to her about the dog.
She said: "Her mannerisms seemed normal. She wasn’t anxious or low in mood.
"There is nothing that caused me concern."
Claire Chesham, was one of the last people to see Nicola alive.
Ms Chesham said that when taking her children to school, she saw Nicola Bulley walk past. Nicola bent down stroked her dog smiling at the same time.
She said: “This was very normal behaviour. I didn’t notice anything unusual."
She saw Nicola in the fields of St Michael’s on Wyre walking her dog Willow.
She said: “It looked absolutely idyllic. From having a younger dog pulling on a long lead I looked up and my thoughts were ‘that’s where I want to be with my dog’.
“She was walking along and Willow was running up and down the barking just having a lovely run and play round the field.”
The inquest also heard from Lucie Musella who had contacted Nicola Bulley on Facebook Messenger about her child going to her house for a play date on Saturday 28 January.
She said Nicola Bulley had replied and confirmed a time with her.
The court heard from campsite owner Penny Fletcher who found Nicola’s dog “loose” and saw her mobile “lit-up” on the bench by the river.
Mrs Fletcher said there was a dog harness in a “bundle” on the grass. She tied-up the spaniel and tried calling the number on its collar.
She added that the harness was on the slope down to the river.
Mrs Fletcher had to make an appointment so she tried calling a vet and another dog walker to trace the spaniel’s owner.
Later, she spoke to her daughter-in-law who said: “Oh no! It’s Nikki dog and Nikki's gone missing.”
Det Sup Rebecca Smith, Lancashire Police who led the search for Nicola Bulley, gave evidence to the inquest.
She said that Nicola's Fitbit smartwatch and her car keys were recovered when her body was discovered.
She told the coroner there was no intelligence to indicate third party involvement in Nicola's death.
DC Keith Greenhalgh of Lancashire Police said Nicola Bulley’s iPhone was recovered from the bench. The phone was intact and there was no sign it had been in the water.
Her Fitbit is believed to have lost power on 4 February as no further data had been obtained beyond that point and when it was placed on charge it displayed that date.
On 27 January, between 8am and 9:30am, the Fitbit recored 4,548 steps.
After 09:30, no further steps were recorded by that device.
DC Greenhalgh said: “A possible explanation for Nicola’s Fitbit continuing to provide [heart rate] output sporadically until 4 February could be a result of the movement of water passing between the device and Nicola’s wrist.
“Testing on intimate objects provided similar results when there was a movement in the water.”
DC Keith Greenhalgh said he believes Nicola Bulley fell into the water between 9.18am and 9.30am.
He told the inquest analysis of her iPhone and Fitbit watch data suggests she “very possibly” entered the water at 9.22am on 27 January.