A REVIEW of the investigation into the death of Northern Irish showjumper Katie Simpson has found ‘systemic failures’ by the PSNI.
Ms Simpson, who was from Tynan in Co. Armagh, died in Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry in August 2020.
She died almost a week after being admitted to hospital following an incident in Gortnessy Meadows, Lettershandoney on August 3, 2020.
Police officers originally thought the 21-year-old had taken her own life, however a year later Jonathan Creswell, a showjumping trainer and the partner of Ms Simpson’s sister, was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Creswell was subsequently charged with Ms Simpson’s rape and murder. In April 2024 he was found dead at his home the day after his trial began.
An independent review of the PSNI investigation into Ms Simpson’s death, commissioned by the Department of Justice, has found she was “let down” by the police force.
Led by Dr Jan Melia, The Katie Simpson Review found her death “exposed systemic failures in policing and safeguarding practice in Northern Ireland”.
“She was let down at every step,” Dr Melia states in her report.
“Police inaction rendered her invisible in her own murder, allowing Creswell to maintain control even after death,” she adds.
“His presence in Altnagelvin as she lay dying, and at her wake and funeral diabolical.”
Dr Melia goes on to highlight further failings by the police force.
“From the outset, the police investigation was shaped not by professional curiosity or care, but premature assumptions and complacency,” she says.
“The dominant narrative constructed by Jonathan Creswell was accepted without challenge, while Katie’s lived experience was erased from the inquiry.
“This was not a failure of one officer or one decision.
“It was a failure of the system: a policing culture characterised by complacency, institutional misogyny and the tendency to minimise risk.”
Dr Melia added that the failures highlighted through Ms Simpson’s case stretch further beyond this one incident and that they must be a catalyst for change.
“The early investigation into Katie’s death lacked professional curiosity, adopting an approach that failed to identify abuse and overlooked children and adults at risk,” she says.
“The absence of professional curiosity, the disregard for coercive control, and the breakdown in multi-team/agency coordination reflect structural issues that extend far beyond this single case,” she added.
“Katie’s story is indicative of a wider pattern where domestic abuse is minimised, where coercive control is ignored or misunderstood, and where victims are silenced by the very institutions meant to protect them.
“Her death and the investigation that followed must serve as a catalyst for reform. A change in mind-set is required.”
Responding to the report, Ms Simpson’s mother Noeleen Mullan said it was “hard to read”.
“So many things were missed, not done properly, and it felt like there was a lack of care for Katie from the police,” she added.
Today the PSNI acknowledged the review’s findings and apologised to the Simpson family.
“I wish to take this opportunity to formally acknowledge the independent review conducted by Dr Jan Melia into the tragic death of Katie Simpson,” Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said.
“I want to begin by acknowledging Katie’s family and to again apologise for the failings in the PSNI’s response to Katie’s death,” he added.
“We remain committed to learning from this case so I welcome the publication of the review which outlines unacceptable failings by the PSNI and indeed by others.
“From the PSNI perspective we accept and welcome this review and accept the findings in full.
“The review makes clear that we missed opportunities. Warning signs were not fully recognised early enough, and we did not listen to some of those who raised early concerns.
“Let me be clear, they got it right and we were too slow to respond to their concerns; that was wrong.
“Patterns of coercive control were not sufficiently understood or challenged, investigative decisions did not always reflect the level of professional curiosity and rigor that should have been applied.
“The failings are clear, we fell short and for that, I am truly sorry.”
The review further revealed that 37 other victims, including children as young as nine, have since come forward to disclose abuse by Creswell.
“Some of these reports involve allegations of sexual and physical abuse, and many of the victims, like Katie, were just starting off in the equestrian world,” the report states.
The PSNI has commissioned a separate investigation into these allegations.
“I want to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Jonathan Creswell or anyone else,” As Chf Con Beck said.
“I would urge victims to speak to us, we are here to listen, to help and to keep you safe.”
