The PSNI has deemed it too expensive to respond to Freedom of information (FOI) requests around tracing Jonathan Creswell who absconded while wanted for indecent exposure.
Some requests were addressed in part and PSNI have yet to decide whether to disclose if An Garda Siochana were alerted when Creswell fled to the Republic of Ireland.
A victim had reported him for indecent exposure while she worked in the same County Antrim stables, but he fled in 2016 on learning he was wanted for interview.
While PSNI insisted significant efforts were made to find Creswell without success, information has emerged of a hasty, overnight flit to Donegal but regular appearances at hunt balls and racing events north and south.
Related: Investigation into death of Katie Simpson ‘flawed’, Police Ombudsman rules
Creswell was charged with murdering Armagh show-jumper Katie Simpson in August 2020 having presented her unresponsive and half-naked to paramedics, contending he heroically rescued her from a hanging attempt.
But concerns were raised from the start particularly around Creswell’s previous convictions for seriously attacking his former partner, Abigail Lyle.
She too suffered neck constriction at his hands, combined with sustained, brutal abuse in strikingly similar circumstances to Katie.
Despite glaring similarities, police dismissed all concerns and it transpired these convictions weren’t on Creswell’s record.
There was also no ‘wanted’ alert for exposure and vital information reported while Katie fought for her life had also vanished.
Creswell’s trial for Katie’s murder ended within 24 hours when he took his own life.
The exposure victim and her partner – who we are calling Sarah and Ian – worked with Creswell briefly in late 2015.
“Everyone treated him like a supreme being,” said Sarah. “He boasted about being in jail for beating his previous girlfriend. He laughed at police because he got away with things, saying his only mistake was ‘not finishing the bitch off’. I warned police he was dangerous. Tragically, I wasn’t believed.”
After Creswell exposed himself to Sarah, Ian confronted him, recording the interaction on his phone.
Enraged, Creswell threatened to “snap (Ian’s)neck and break his back” while shouting, “your c**t of a girlfriend will get what’s coming”.
Sarah said, “The entire staff stood by him, laughing at his snide remarks. We were ostracised and he was empowered by their hero-worship.”
With the workplace so toxic she and Ian left, reporting the matter to police in January 2016, but Creswell was never traced.
After learning of the trial for Katie’s murder Sarah complained to the Ombudsman but this was rejected as PSNI claimed extensive efforts to locate Creswell were unsuccessful.
Yet information has emerged indicating he was hiding in plain sight.
When first charged with Katie’s murder Creswell’s application for High Court bail was opposed given he “left the jurisdiction in 2015” while sought for exposure.
His barrister countered, “He moved across the Border to live with his father but worked on a daily basis at a yard in Antrim. Police didn’t seek to arrest him.”
In April 2017 a beaming Creswell was pictured in the winner’s enclosure of the East Antrim Point-to-Point – the very area of the exposure incident.
There are many published images of Creswell including one from 2018, in which he is flanked to his left by his then partner Christina Simpson, while to his right are co-defendants Rose de Montmorency-Wright and Hayley Robb.
Also in 2018 a company called CJK Equine (the J standing for Jonathan) was incorporated in Companies House with a registered office in Middletown, Armagh.
By late 2019 Creswell moved back into Northern Ireland, setting up stables in Derry.
Under FOI the PSNI confirmed a wanted alert remains live “as long as necessary” with removal decided by “a constable or above.”
However enquiries around the Antrim stables and how many people were spoken to were deemed too expensive to answer but upfront payment of costs was declined.
PSMI have yet to decide if they will provide the date An Garda Siochana were contacted while Creswell was in Donegal.
Sarah, who is making a fresh Ombudsman complaint, said, “If enquiries were properly conducted, outcomes could have been very different for many, including Katie.”
An Ombudsman spokesperson said: “As this concerns new information not available at the time, a new complaint could be considered about the effectiveness of searches for Jonathan Creswell undertaken by the PSNI after being notified of a criminal complaint against him.”
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