True crime: when voyeurism becomes harmful and exploitative

As internet sleuths swarm the Lancashire village where Nicola Bulley went missing, has our obsession with true crime finally gone too far?

It is now 15-days since Nicola Bulley vanished while walking her dog in Lancashire. Nicola’s partner, Paul Ansell, says the family are going through “unprecedented hell” and yesterday stated that he is “100% convinced” she is not in the River Wyre.

As each day has passed media interest has grown, and with it increasing online speculation into questions that remain unanswered. Stirring this speculation has been an army of amateur sleuths and social media influencers who have seen Nicola’s disappearance as ghoulish opportunity to descend onto the riverside beauty spot to film and take pictures, whilst posting about their opinions and scepticisms online.

A friend of Nicola, Heather Gibbons, has said "vile theories" being shared online are "incredibly hurtful" for her family. Meanwhile, their arrival has cause significant disruption to the police search efforts with unwanted assistance, to such an extent that lead investigator Supt Sally Riley has said it has been a distraction for the poli…