Nicola Bulley detectives desperately tried to muzzle a "human mole" who went rogue against police guidance several times during the investigation, a new report has revealed.
The latest inquiry by the College of Policing published today highlights the fractious relationship officers had with underwater search expert Peter Faulding.
Mr Faulding, who runs search company Specialist Group International, was brought into the investigation at Nicola's family's request.
But the report hit out at his repeated media interviews, conducted without consulting officers, which were ultimately "at odds" with the findings.
In a ground-breaking new revelation the force also claimed it had Mr Faulding sign a non-disclosure agreement and told how he went off-piste from his remit of searching in the water at one stage - taking a spade to dig up an area of land he suspected was "recently disturbed".
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Peter Faulding liaises with Mr Ansell beside the River Wyre in Lancashire (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)In his response the report Mr Faulding denied receiving an NDA from police and said it was a health and safety risk assessment he thought he was signing.
The report also quoted an email from a leading officer at Lancashire Constabulary, pleading with Mr Faulding to treat the investigation confidentially and urging him to "show discretion".
A snippet of the email read: "We also discussed and agreed that all operational information will be treated as confidential, and that any operational information passed to the media will be done through the police channels. The requirement for this is to manage media releases to mitigate where possible undue distress to the family."
The closing line of the email added: "I cannot stress the need for discretion enough due to the massive news coverage this enquiry has and continues to attract."
Mr Faulding leads a team of forensic experts along the river (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)The report accused Mr Faulding's media interviews as being "insensitive" to Nicola's family and suggested his comments also fuelled social media sleuths who plagued the hunt for Nicola.
"It is the view of Lancashire Constabulary that Mr Faulding had a significant impact on the investigation and public confidence through his activities and his engagement with the media.
"The review team considers that some of his actions created a more challenging environment for the investigation team. His public statements often contradicted the investigative and operational approach, leading to confusion for the public and reducing the family’s trust in the investigation and search operation.
"Within the media, there were 12,355 articles or broadcasts referring to Mr Faulding from 3 February, reflecting the interest that his public comments created.
"Some social media commentators referred to his comments as evidence for their alternative explanations for Nicola’s disappearance."
A coroner ruled in the summer that Nicola, 45, had drowned in the river (PA)The report reviewed an incident in which Mr Faulding claimed to have found a credible image of a body in the water which was checked by divers several times and turned out to be a fallen tree.
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It also divulged details of an incident when Mr Faulding allegedly started digging up an area he suspected could be a "deposition site".
The report stated: "In addition to his continued media presence, Lancashire Constabulary presented examples of when Mr Faulding operated outside of the terms of engagement with the search direction.
"This included an incident on 8 February, when he was observed digging with a spade in woodland near the river. This search activity had not been sanctioned by the PolSA lead and Mr Faulding had not undertaken any forensic precautions to ensure the safe recovery of forensic evidence.
"This activity fell outside of the agreed terms of engagement, where any forensic recovery should not be undertaken. When challenged at the time by the police, Mr Faulding stated that he believed this to be an area of recently disturbed earth, indicating a possible deposition site. This location had previously been searched and eliminated as part of the initial police search response on 27 January."
Following the incident the area was searched again and concluded as not recently disturbed. In his response to the report, a spokesperson for SGI representing Mr Faulding said: "There was no official NDA discussed or signed for.
"The police failed to engage with SGI about any press statements. Peter and team were ambushed by the press, had no support from the police or any feedback after making media statements and, therefore, he assumed his press engagements were within the terms of engagement."
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