Katie Simpson was just 21 years when she died after suffering catastrophic injuries at a house in County Londonderry in August 2020. Police initially believed that the talented showjumper had attempted to take her own life after her brother-in-law and showjumping trainer Jonathan Creswell claimed he found her hanging from a stairwell.
While speaking to authorities, he also claimed that Katie had sustained her injuries after a horse riding accident earlier that week. But as questions mounted, the investigation uncovered a much darker truth involving coercive control, sexual abuse and a murder inquiry that almost never happened.
Now, Channel 4 is revisiting the case in The Showjumper Murder, which explores how Katie’s death went from being treated as a suicide to one of Northern Ireland’s most shocking investigations.
Originally from Tynan, in County Armagh, Katie was a promising young rider who had become well known on the Irish showjumping circuit. Friends and family described her as bubbly, kind and devoted to horses from an early age.
Sky UK/KevinOwens//Sky
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She had also become closely connected to Creswell, the long-term partner of her older sister Christina. On the day she was found, Creswell claimed he had tried to save her before calling for help.
Katie was rushed to hospital, but she never regained consciousness. She died days later from her injuries and her family struggled to accept that her death had been ruled a suicide. Medical staff also raised concerns about the injuries she had suffered – which included vaginal bleeding.
But it was concerns from members of the public that eventually reignited suspicions, particularly due to Creswell’s history of violence against women – he’d notably been incarcerated for assaulting a former partner. Detective Sergeant James Brannigan was one of the main voices advocating for another investigation into Katie’s death.
RTE One/YouTube//YouTube
Detective Sergeant James Brannigan
In January 2021, a police team in Armagh took over the case from the Maydown PSNI Station in Derry. Two months later, Creswell was charged with the rape and murder of Katie Simpson. As detectives re-examined the evidence, they alleged that Katie had never attempted to take her own life at all.
Instead, prosecutors claimed that Creswell attacked her and raped her, before staging the scene to resemble a suicide and delaying emergency treatment. After years of investigation, Creswell finally stood trial in 2024.
The prosecution outlined its case on the opening day, alleging Katie had been murdered and the scene deliberately staged. However, before witnesses could be called to testify, proceedings came to an abrupt end when the court was informed that Creswell had been found dead at his home after taking his own life.
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While no verdict was ever reached, Katie’s death nevertheless continued to have far-reaching consequences. Earlier this year, an independent review concluded that the PSNI’s handling of the case had been marked by “institutional misogyny”.
The report criticised the initial investigation for accepting the suicide narrative too readily, despite the overwhelming amount of evidence pointing to foul play, and missing opportunities to gather evidence against Creswell early on.
It was also established that Creswell had groomed Katie from the age of 10, when she joined an equestrian yard near her home and exerted years of coercive control over her. A total of 37 other victims, including children as young as nine, had also come forward with allegations of abuse against Creswell.
Following the case, Detective James Brannigan retired from the PSNI and established the Katie Trust alongside Katie’s family. The charity was set up to support families whose loved ones’ deaths may have been wrongly classified.
The Showjumper Murder airs this Thursday (23 July) at 10pm on 4.
