Peter Faulding: Specialist diver removed from expert list after Nicola Bulley’s body found in previously searched area
LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND: The body of Nicola Bulley, a mother-of-two, who mysteriously disappeared nearly a month ago, was found on Sunday, February 19. Shockingly, missing Nicola Bulley's body was discovered in a stretch of the River Wyre already searched by police in the past three weeks since her disappearance.
Peter Faulding, 60, of the Specialist Group International (SGI) involved in the search for Nicola Bulley has been suspended from the National Crime Agency’s list of experts, while a review is being carried out. "The NCA does not employ, endorse or accredit experts on our adviser database," a spokesman for the National Crime Agency said as reported Daily Mail.
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Who is Peter Faulding?
Peter Faulding is the founder and CEO of Specialist Group International. He has worked on numerous police investigations and high-profile cases over the years according to Daily Mail. Peter Faulding was asked by Nicola Bulley's family to assist in finding the missing mother of two in the River Wyre.
Peter Faulding and his team use a high-tech $65,683 sonar device (£55,000) which the specialist diver describes as "state of the art" and the device helps scan under the water. The 60-year-old claimed he'd find Nicola Bulley if she was in the River Wyre and scanned a three-mile stretch of the river for the woman for three days. In the end, the diver said Nicola Bulley was not in the river and speculated her phone could be. However, the 45-year-old's body was tragically located in nearby reeds.
Why is Peter Faulding being removed?
The private specialist involved in the search for Nicola Bulley was removed from the National Crime Agency’s list of experts after claiming she was "not in that section of the river." Moreover, after the mother of two's body was found, Peter Faulding said his high-tech £55,000 sonar can only scan in the water and cannot travel through reeds. He said, "The SGI underwater search team was tasked with searching the river upstream of the weir in the non-tidal part of the river, past the bench where Nicola's phone was found and a mile upstream past this point."
"For three days, using high-frequency side scan sonar, we thoroughly searched the riverbed and can categorically confirm that Nicola was not laying on the riverbed on the days that we searched. We did search the stretch of river where Nicola was [allegedly] found for four hours on our first day and then upstream past the weir on the subsequent two days. The police underwater search teams and land search teams were searching for three full weeks and were also unable to find Nicola. Sadly, the discovery was not found in the river but in the reeds at the side of the river which was not part of our remit as the side scan sonar does not penetrate reeds above or below the water," reported the source.
Furthermore, he added, "A riverbank and wade search would be the only way to search this area and we were not involved or tasked with that search. The difference between these two search areas has caused a lot of confusion and unfair criticism towards myself and my team at Specialist Group International. My previous comments saying that if Nicola was in the river, I would find her, still stand. My team and I at SGI did all we could to assist this family with only our best intentions. I am sure I can say this of everyone who has been involved in this difficult search."
What other cases has the SGI given their assistance?
Faulding has assisted in scores of cold cases from locating missing persons and human remains that have gone undetected in some of the most disclosed and remote locations on land and underwater. The SGI founder's website reads, "Peter has worked on many high profile missing person and ‘no body’ murder investigations including the serial killer Peter Tobin, Linda Razzell, April Jones, the mysterious death of MI6 officer Gareth Williams and many more."
"He has trained police search advisers and the military at the police National Search Centre. Peter has been a guest of the United States Secret Service and presented to their specialist teams, the US military and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at their training school in Quantico Virginia, USA."