Documentary on murder of showjumper Katie Simpson set to air after being pulled by family
A Sky documentary about the murder of showjumper Katie Simpson was pulled after her family complained about how one of the women convicted of covering up the murder was portrayed, the Sunday World has learned.
We can reveal that Jill Robinson, who washed Jonathan Creswell's clothes after he killed the 21-year-old in August 2020, gives an explosive interview to the makers of Death of a Showjumper.
She was one of three women convicted of being involved in the cover-up but she is the only one of the three who agreed to take part in the documentary.
Episode one of the three-part show was due to be shown last Wednesday but Sky postponed the screening at the last minute, despite massive publicity.
Jill Robinson
The family along with their solicitor met the production team from Walk On Air and Sky Studios and it's understood all issues have now been resolved and the show is due to be aired soon.
We understand one of the issues that troubled people close to the family – who were given an advance viewing of the three-part series – was how 43-year-old Robinson was portrayed.
Robinson, who admitted to perverting the course of justice by washing Creswell's clothes and was sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years, features throughout the documentary.
Meanwhile, it has been claimed that Katie might still be alive if cops had captured Creswell back in 2016 for indecent exposure.
Creswell, who took his own life on the second day of his trial for rape and murder of Katie, evaded justice by fleeing across the border to County Donegal in 2016 when a couple made a complaint about him exposing his genitals and making threats to kill them while they worked at stables in County Antrim with him.
Creswell was never arrested for that, the case was closed as cops said they could not trace him, despite Creswell setting up a new business in Donegal and repeatedly travelling back into Northern Ireland to attend horse shows and hunt balls.
Death of a Showjumper details the shocking death of Katie Simpson
A campaigning journalist who features in Death of a Showjumper says Katie might not have been murdered if police had been more diligent in tracing Creswell, especially as by the time he exposed himself he already had served time in jail for battering previous partner Abi Lyle.
Tanya Fowles, who fought to have cops reopen the Katie Simpson case after concerns were raised to her about the suicide claim, says police were warned about just how dangerous Creswell was.
The exposure victim and her partner – who we are calling Sarah and Ian – worked with Creswell briefly in late 2015.
After exposing himself, he was challenged by Ian and Creswell threatened to 'snap (Ian's) neck and break his back' while shouting, 'your c**t of a girlfriend will get what's coming'.
Jonathan Creswell
'When Sarah was a victim of Creswell's behaviour in 2016 and reported him to police she was very clear to stress he was dangerous,' Tanya told the Sunday World.
'She recounted very specific details which in essence pointed to him being predatory, sexually deviant and particularly dangerous to females.
'After around a year she was told he could not be found and the PPS had declined to prosecute.
'When the murder trial ended last year Sarah reported her concerns to the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (PONI)who dismissed her complaint, contending the PSNI had carried out extensive searches for Creswell and believed he had fled to ROI.
'She then contacted me and I very quickly found evidence of Creswell being repeatedly in Northern Ireland and even at the very stable yard where the incident occurred.
'In fact when he went for High Court bail after being charged with Katie's murder, Sarah's case was used as an objection that he may try to flee if released as he had done in the past but his own barrister confirmed he had gone to live in Donegal but apparently drove to the Antrim yard daily to work and police never came looking for him.
Death of a Showjumper
'However, what became more concerning in this already epic failure by PSNI around Creswell, I submitted multiple press enquires and FOIs on Sarah's case which have all been stonewalled.
'If PSNI had taken Sarah's account seriously – especially coming on the back of his appalling behaviour against Abi Lyle – Katie may well be alive today.
'This is something which really troubles Sarah and while Creswell was the perpetrator with overall responsibility for his conduct, the PSNI's laxity in addressing this when critical information was brought to their attention meant he ran free and unfettered.'
Sarah went back to the Police Ombudsman with the new information about Creswell being seen regularly in Northern Ireland and the new team have reopened her case.
The Sunday World can reveal the handling of those complaints made by the couple he threatened are part of a massive PONI probe which has seen 13 police officers investigated.
Specialist investigating officers have been brought in from London to look into various potential failures with the handling of the Katie murder.
Currently seven police officers are being investigated while six were already looked into during an initial investigation which resulted in an apology from the PSNI.
Five of those 13 have retired while under investigation across two separate probes from the police watchdog.
We can reveal two retired while being investigated in the first probe while three were disciplined and one was cleared.
In the second probe, which is ongoing, three officers have retired and four are still serving.
The investigation is muti-layered and covers not just the initial failure to treat the murder as a suicide but also the second police investigation and most importantly potential police failures dating back to 2016.
Three of the complaints to PONI were made after the collapse of the trial last year when Creswell took his own life.
One complaint has been made about an officer and their conduct while another relates to the overall second police investigation including the failure of police to charge a fourth woman who we understand had admitted to police she was aware Katie had been beaten by Creswell the night before and that he had taken her phone.
In August 2020, Katie, a talented showjumper originally from Tynan in Co Armagh, was living with Creswell, his partner Christina, who was Katie's sister, and Creswell and Christina's two young children at Gortnessy Meadows on the Derry outskirts.
Shortly before 8.30am on August 3 that year, a 999 call was made saying Katie had been found in the house after apparently having tried to take her own life.
Creswell said he found Katie when he returned to the house after taking his children to his mother's house.
Instead of waiting for emergency crews, Creswell put Katie in his car and drove towards Altnagelvin Hospital.
En route, he was told by a 999 handler to pull over and start CPR on Katie.
In a recording of the call, Creswell can be heard counting as he supposedly does resuscitation chest presses. This, it later turned out, was all an act.
Paramedics arrived at the scene and took over the efforts to revive Katie before taking her to the hospital.
She never regained consciousness and died on August 9, 2020.
Katie Simpson
News in 90 Seconds - July 23rd
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