Minister for Justice Naomi Long has announced the Terms of Reference for the Independent Review into the case of Jonathan Creswell, who went on trial for the rape and murder of Armagh showjumper Katie Simpson but took his own life after the first day.
He claimed to have rescued the twenty-one-year-old from a hanging attempt on August 3, 2020, who passed away six days later.
Death was deemed a suicide despite concerns about Creswell’s violent, similar past being raised with police from the day after Katie was admitted to hospital.
All were ignored, and it would take seven months and a new investigation team before he was finally arrested and charged.
Complaints filed with the Police Ombudsman found catastrophic PSNI failures, which Chief Constable Jon Boucher has conceded.
Three new complaints submitted after Creswell’s trial collapsed in April 2024 are currently under investigation, one of which has been described by the Police Ombudsman as involving “potentially criminal misconduct”.
Last month, Minister Long announced she had commissioned the Review to examine the public protection arrangements for Creswell and establish if opportunities for management were missed.
The agencies engaged are PSNI, Prison Service, Probation Board, and the Western Trust.
When asked, the first three immediately confirmed compliance, and while the Western Trust initially declined to respond, it has since confirmed it will also comply.
Domestic Homicide Review Chairperson and former Chief Executive of Women’s Aid Federation Jan Melia will lead the review, commencing with engagement with families affected by Katie’s murder.
The review will identify and understand how professionals and organisations worked to safeguard Katie and address Creswell’s behaviour.
It will examine his offending history up to Katie’s murder in August 2020, establish any information held, and the contact each agency had with Creswell or Katie, as well as considering opportunities to refer him for management arrangements.
Consideration will be given to missed opportunities to refer Katie for multi-agency risk assessment, particularly given the 18 hospital admissions purportedly from horse falls while Creswell was present.
The review will determine whether agencies worked to do all reasonably possible to manage Creswell’s risk of re-offending.
The scope will run from 2009, when Creswell was arrested at his then home in Caledon, County Tyrone, where he had been holding former partner Abi Lyle captive after a brutal attack bearing stark similarities to what would befall Katie, almost exactly 11 years later.
Abi Lyle
While he vehemently denied the horrific charges from the campaign of domestic abuse, he changed his plea just as his trial was to begin at Dungannon Crown Court, where he would be jailed for six months.
When released, Creswell returned to his life in Caledon, setting up home with Katie’s sister Christina, with whom he had begun a relationship as the case went through the court process.
However, he would soon be back in Dungannon Court numerous times for serious driving offences, demonstrating a complete disregard for the law.
Matters became sinister again in 2016 when Creswell exposed himself to a female co-worker while working at an Antrim stable yard.
She reported this to police, but Creswell fled across the border before he could be arrested and was never traced.
The victim complained to the Police Ombudsman, but this was not upheld as it was contended multiple efforts were made to find Creswell without success.
Since then, significant evidence has emerged calling those efforts into question.
This is alongside PSNI refusals to state when An Garda Síochána were contacted to assist in locating Creswell, as this enquiry is apparently “too expensive” to answer.
The PSNI has also refused to state when an alert for arrest in this matter disappeared from his record, along with his assault convictions.
The Ombudsman complaint has now been reopened.
Furthermore, the Probation Board has confirmed never having any engagement with Creswell at any time following his release from custody for attacking Abi.
All material gathered to date in this regard will be shared with the Independent Review.
