Barrister says 'victim blaming' has plagued Nicola Bulley case
18 February 2023, 10:44
Barrister says 'victim blaming' has plagued Nicola Bulley case
Barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman argues that "a man would not be treated" in the same way Nicola Bulley has, regarding details released about her private life.
Barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman told Andrew Castle that "victim blaming" has become the "predominant focus" in the Nicola Bulley case, after police were criticised for revealing details regarding Ms Bulley's private life.
In a press conference on Wednesday Lancashire Police said Ms Bulley is being treated as a "high-risk" missing person with "specific vulnerabilities". The police were slammed for later revealing she had "some significant issues with alcohol" brought on by "ongoing struggles with menopause".
Dr Proudman argued: "How is it material to the investigation? We still don't know from the family's perspective. They've released a statement to say we should be focusing on finding Nicola Bulley not coming up with wild theories about her private life.
"Yes, she has had some of these challenges and the reason they were putting that information out, my understanding from the statement, is that people were trying to sell stories about her private life... trying to cash in on this woman having disappeared."
The barrister went on to say: "What on earth is wrong with the state of humanity? I don't think a man would be treated in this way and that's because we often tend to see, when a woman experiences violence by men or a woman, in this case, has gone missing... is that you tend to find they end up being blamed for the situation that they're in."
"Victim blaming becomes the predominant focus rather than the fact she's gone missing... for many women out there, they're worried about the implications that could have to them," Dr Proudman highlighted.
READ MORE: 'They're victim blaming': Caller slams police for Nicola Bulley information reveal
