The PSNI are refusing to explain why a senior officer contacted a former victim of Jonathan Creswell, who spoke out about police failings.
He took his own life one day into his trial for murdering twenty-one-year-old showjumper Katie Simpson.
He contended he heroically rescued her from a hanging attempt, but concerns were being raised from the day after she was admitted to hospital, including from a journalist who covered his previous case for seriously attacking his former partner.
She too suffered neck constriction at Creswell’s hands, combined with sustained, brutal abuse in strikingly similar circumstances to Katie.
Katie lost her fight for life on August 9, 2020.
Despite obvious similarities police dismissed all concerns and deemed Katie’s death as a result of suicide.
It took months of fighting with police to get a murder inquiry launched.
Four years later, Creswell went on trial for Katie’s murder, which ended within 24 hours with his death.
The case sparked outrage on police failings and it transpired Creswell’s previous violence convictions were not showing on PSNI systems.
In addition, some reports while Katie was in hospital, including details of his previous court case, also disappeared.
The Chief Constable Jon Boucher accepted red flags were missed but criticised others for “not putting their hand up” to report Creswell in the past.
This shocked one of Creswell’s previous victims who gave a very detailed report of his conduct and warned he was dangerous.
She and her partner (whom we are calling Sarah and Ian) worked in the same stables as Creswell for a short time in 2015, but both fell foul of his temper.
Sarah described Creswell openly boasting about his convictions and being in jail for beating his previous girlfriend.
“He laughed at police because he got away with things. He had absolutely no concerns and seemed untouchable. He said the only mistake he made was ‘not finishing the bitch off’.”
The following month Creswell exposed himself to Sarah.
She informed the stable owner who did nothing, but Ian confronted Creswell, 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 to her”.
With the working environment so toxic, Sarah and Ian felt they had to leave.
In January 2016 they decided to go to police but despite Creswell being alerted as wanted he was never traced having fled to Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.
A file was sent to the PPS who directed no prosecution.
Enquiries around Sarah and Ian’s case were repeatedly delayed by the PSNI Press Office leading to a final cut-off when matters took a strange twist.
On the morning of 11 September – weeks after enquiries were first submitted – the PSNI contacted Press enquiring if the victims consented to the release of information, which was confirmed.
Later that day, in an unprecedented move, the senior investigating officer in Katie’s murder contacted Sarah.
“He didn’t know my case was closed in 2017. He then said the media were going to publish an article about my case which I was fully aware of considering I came forward with my story. He claimed to know the reporter I was dealing with. I don’t understand the purpose of his call. It unsettled me, but I wasn’t backing down.”
The PSNI were asked to explain why the call was made, who authorised it, if there is a policy around contacting victims who have chosen to speak out, particularly against the background of a deeply flawed investigatory process and potential interference with Press freedoms.
Two weeks later, there remains no response
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