THE PSNI have apologised to the family of murdered showjumper Katie Simpson for ‘failing’ them in their investigation into her death.
A report by the Police Ombudsman has found the initial police investigation was ‘flawed’ and ‘failed the Simpson family’.
Ms Simpson died on August 10, 2020, six days after being assaulted at her home near Derry.
She had been driven part-way to Altnagelvin Hospital on August 3, 2020 by Jonathan Creswell, the man subsequently arrested and charged with her murder.
En route to the hospital, the 21-year-old was transferred to an ambulance and Creswell, who was driving Ms Simpson's car, told paramedics and the two police officers that she had attempted to take her own life.
Police were also told by Creswell and another person that Katie had recently been injured in a fall from a horse.
Ms Simpson died in hospital on August 10, having never regained consciousness.
In the months which followed, police treated her death as a suicide, despite multiple reports from members of the public and concerns expressed by some police officers, that she was subject to controlling and coercive behaviour by Creswell and that such a suicide attempt was considered out of character.
Police also knew in the early phase of the investigation that Creswell had been convicted for assaulting his former partner in 2009.
Katie Simpson, 21, died in August 2020 (PIC: PSNI)The Police Ombudsman investigation concluded that the police investigation was hindered by the misleading working assumption adopted by a number of officers that Katie’s injuries were self-inflicted.
“Intelligence received by police both prior to, and following, Katie’s death referenced that she may have been the victim of controlling behaviours, that the attempted suicide was suspicious, that Katie had not fallen from a horse, and that medical staff had also expressed concerns about the circumstances of Katie’s injuries,” said Hugh Hume, Police Ombudsman Chief Executive, speaking after the investigation findings were given to the Simpson family.
“Although it is clear that this intelligence was viewed and logged by police, it did not change the direction of the police investigation,” he added.
“There appeared to be a general lack of an investigative mindset which contributed to shortcomings in evidence identification and retrieval, scene management and identification, a willingness to accept at face value the accounts from Jonathan Creswell, and ultimately confusion around the ownership of the police investigation."
The Ombudsman investigation found that there were no effective searches carried out at Katie’s address and that no supervisory officer attended the house at the initial stages of the investigation.
Responding to the findings today, the PSNI's Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said: “First and foremost, I wish to express my deepest sympathy to Katie’s family and friends who have had to live with unimaginable pain and suffering as they continue to come to terms with the utterly shocking circumstances of her death.
“No family should ever have to experience what they are going through.
“I acknowledge that there were shortcomings in various stages of the investigation into Katie’s death and I unreservedly apologise for this.
“It is clear that we were not rigorous enough in our pursuit of all potential lines of enquiry and did not act quickly enough in responding to some of the concerns that were raised around Katie’s death."
He added: “We relied too much on the lack of any presenting medical evidence around what had happened to Katie when she was first admitted to hospital and on the forensic post mortem that was conducted on August 11, 2020.
“Our systems failed to identify Creswell’s previous related, serious offending. We acknowledge this and reaffirm our position that we must and will do better, moving forward.
“As a result of these shortcomings, the Police Ombudsman recommended misconduct proceedings in relation to six officers. However, it is important to note that this is less about individual officers’ actions and more about our organisation not getting things right from the outset.
“We are absolutely committed to learning from this case and recommendations from the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland have already been actioned. I am determined that the Police Service of Northern Ireland will be a victim-focused organisation and will proactively tackle violence against women and girls, controlling and coercive behaviour, and all forms of misogyny."
Creswell was found dead at his home on April 24 of this year, a day after his trial for Ms Simpson's murder started.
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