Confidence in policing 'shaken to foundations' after Katie Simpson review

Confidence in policing has been shaken "to its very foundations" over the handling of Katie Simpson's murder, Stormont's justice committee chairman has said.

A review published on Tuesday found "institutional misogyny" and "systemic failures" within the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) during its handling of Katie's death.

Katie, a 21-year-old showjumper, died in 2020 and her death was initially treated as suicide.

But she was actually groomed and killed by Jonathan Creswell, a showjumping trainer and the partner of Katie's sister.

He was later charged with her murder but took his own life one day after a trial began in 2024.

The PSNI apologised to Katie's family and said it acknowledged the review.

Paul Frew, who is a DUP MLA as well as Stormont's justice committee chairman, said the review made for horrific reading.

"I spent last night reading it. I didn't get much sleep because of the content within it. It is absolutely astounding," he told Good Morning Ulster.

"So many people have been failed here. They believed this monster even though he had been convicted years before to a six-month prison sentence for bodily harm. It's astounding."

Nuala Lappin is a retired specialist PSNI domestic abuse officer who worked on the case which saw Jonathan Creswell jailed in 2010 for assaulting his ex partner, Abi Lyle.

She described Creswell as "the absolute Jekyll and Hyde character" who was "full of narcissism" and "so cocky".

She said there should be a "third level" between the public and the police, particularly in domestic abuse cases, who could accompany them to police stations and any potential court cases, to "hold the police to account" if needed.

The review also found 37 other victims - including children - later came forward alleging abuse by Creswell.

Speaking to the BBC's Nolan Show on Wednesday, Abi Lyle said police needed to create an environment where victims felt they could come forward.

"Now that we know that there were so many other people that were abused by him, you have to really think of how bad the system is," she said.

"That none of those other people felt that they could come forward before he was arrested for a murder charge.

"He was always so terrifying, calculated and evil that to me finding all this out that there was so many other people - isn't a surprise in a terrible way.

"So many more people will suffer and more lives will be lost if they don't learn from this," she said.

The review found police failed to seriously consider abuse or coercive control during its investigation and instead prioritised Creswell's account.

Warning signs were ignored and Katie's lived experience was disregarded.

Frew called for stronger safeguarding, tougher accountability within the PSNI, and full implementation of coercive control laws to prevent failures happening again.

"Six officers were found to have conducted misconduct," he said.

"Two, I think, were allowed to retire. Only one received a written warning. We can't abide by that."

He added that confidence in the PSNI will need to be rebuilt.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said the failings by the force were clear and it did not meet the standards expected of it.

The review found Katie was "let down at every step", criticising police, social services, health services and safeguarding failures within the equestrian sector.

Justice Minister Naomi Long told BBC News NI that "earlier intervention across the board could have prevented much of the harm Katie suffered".

"There has been a focus, quite rightly, on failures of the PSNI in terms of the investigation of Katie's death and the time following that," she said.

"But there were many and multiple failures by a number of agencies. It would be a failure of this report if the only learning taken from it was from the PSNI."

The review, led by Dr Jan Melia, said urgent cultural change was needed within the PSNI and warned that misogyny within policing increases risk to women.

"I welcome the fact that the chief constable is being proactive about addressing it," Long said.

"Let's be clear, we need to know as women that when we go to the PSNI to report serious crime or when we are in danger, that they take those concerns seriously.

"And that they are conscious of the innate bias that there will be within an organisation that is predominantly male."

Geraldine Hanna, victims of crime commissioner, said she was "profoundly concerned" about what the review found.

"What I find especially troubling though is that since Katie's death we've seen domestic homicide reviews in Northern Ireland continuing to highlight many of the same things," she said.

"So that suggests to me that we're not learning lessons quickly enough or consistently enough."

She also said recent inspections found police training around coercive control was still not good enough.

"So it's clear more needs to be done," she said.

Speaking to BBC Newsline the Policing Board chair Brendan Mullan said the review was "deeply troubling".

He added that "basic protocols" not being followed was among a "catalogue of failings".

"There are some basic process and policy implementations that need to be embedded within the service as well as a wider cultural change required.

"That work has already started and as a board we would intend to monitor the implementation of that work," he said.

Mullan said officers are working within a "pressured environment".

"The standard for major investigation teams is no more than six cases, in Northern Ireland the standard is 20 cases.

Mullan said when it comes to misogyny the first step is "recognising that there is a problem and the chief constable has been clear that misogyny will not be accepted within any aspect of policing in Northern Ireland."

He said changing culture "takes time".

Former PSNI officer Linzi McLaren told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme that Katie was "failed on numerous fronts and this report must make very difficult listening for her family".

McLaren added that while "strides" have been made by the PSNI in terms of domestic abuse handling from when she joined in 2004, "this review very much shows us that there are still huge strides to be made to make women in Northern Ireland safe and particularly paying attention to misogyny that's been identified in the service itself".

"If there is misogyny deep within the service, you have to expect that will filter into the responses that officers give to women when they come forward."