No criminal wrongdoing by police officer in Simpson murder investigation

No evidence of criminal wrongdoing by a police officer involved in investigating the murder of show jumper Katie Simpson has been found by the Police Ombudsman.

Investigators looked into whether the officer had "conflicts of interest" which affected their decision making.

Katie Simpson, 21, died six days after being admitted to hospital in Londonderry in August 2020.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) initially treated her death as suicide, but a show jumping trainer, Jonathan Creswell, was later charged with her murder.

He died in 2024 while on trial for murder.

The police officer investigated by the Police Ombudsman has not been named.

A spokesperson said: "The complaint centred on the initial decision by police not to treat Katie's death as suspicious and alleged that the police officer had conflicts of interest which influenced that decision making.

"Enquiries, including witness interviews and examinations of investigative material, phone and email records, found no evidence of any personal connections between the police officer and other named parties.

"The case has now been closed."

The spokesperson added that "two further complaints made to the Police Ombudsman and linked to the murder of Katie Simpson are now at an advanced stage".

A law firm representing Katie Simpson's family said questions remain about the PSNI investigation.

Lawyer Kevin Winters said: "Given the continued shortcomings in accountability and the limited scope of today's conclusions, our clients consider the outcome insufficient.

"While six officers were previously subject to disciplinary recommendations, this falls well short of their expectations.

"Accordingly, we have today been formally instructed to submit a review request to the Police Ombudsman seeking further examination of the unresolved issues."

The PSNI said it was aware of the Police Ombudsman's conclusion regarding the officer concerned.

Ass Ch Const Davy Beck said: "We remain committed to learning from this case and will continue to co-operate fully with the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland in relation to any complaint."

Eleven years before Katie Simpson's murder in 2020, Creswell was convicted after assaulting his partner at the time.

A Police Ombudsman report in 2024 found that the police investigation into the murder in 2020 had been flawed and failed her family.

Following the ombudsman's report, three serving officers were disciplined.