
Katie Simpson: New charity 'a legacy' to murdered young showjumper
On Friday, some members of her family attended the official launch of The Katie Trust.Her aunt, Paula Mullan, told BBC News NI that she hopes the charity will help other families."This charity is going to help so much and so many people, that they don't feel alone and that they're being answered, their questions to be answered."Another aunt, Colleen McConville said: "The very sad thing is it's happening too often. "This charity will help straight away from the onset, not down the line, which is harder to be investigated, so it will give families direct and quick answers."
The Katie Trust has been founded by James Brannigan, a retired PSNI Detective Sergeant who led the murder investigation, with the support of Katie Simpson's relatives."This Trust is here to listen, when so many have not. It is here to ask the hard questions, when others will not," Mr Brannigan said. "And above all, it is here to stand beside families, not in opposition to law enforcement, but in service of justice and truth."In January 2025, the justice minister announced she was setting up an independent review into the case of Jonathan Creswell.He had been jailed for six months in 2010 after pleading guilty to assaulting a girlfriend.
Katie Simpson never regained consciousness following the incident at a house in Gortnessy Meadows, Lettershandoney, in August 2020.On the first and only day of his trial for murder, it was alleged that Creswell strangled her and tried to cover it up by claiming she had hanged herself.Creswell, who had denied the murder and rape of Ms Simpson, was found dead at his home shortly before he was due to attend the second day of his trial in April 2024.The previous day, during opening submissions in front of a jury, a prosecution lawyer outlined how Creswell allegedly raped, strangled and killed Ms Simpson.The prosecution had also outlined how Creswell had previous "illicit" sexual relations with Ms Simpson and attacked her after discovering she was in a relationship with another younger man.Ms Simpson lived with Creswell and his partner Christina, who was her sister, at the time of her death.Creswell had been described as an abusive and controlling person.Three women avoided jail last year after admitting offences connected to her death.Jill Robinson, Rose De Montmorency-Wright, and Hayley Robb were given suspended prison sentences.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Ex-BBC journalist says covering Bloody Sunday sparked decades-long career
A former BBC Panorama journalist has said covering Bloody Sunday in his 20s inspired his decades-long career. Peter Taylor, 82, from Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, subsequently dedicated a large portion of his working life to documenting events in Northern Ireland. During the Troubles he interviewed republican and loyalist inmates in a notorious prison which he said had not been accessed before, or in the same way since. He also tracked down and spoke to an MI5 officer who he said was 'central to getting the IRA to commit to peace' in a secret mission. As he was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), Mr Taylor told the Princess Royal that his first assignment in Northern Ireland was covering Bloody Sunday for ITV's This Week. On January 30 1972, British soldiers shot dead 13 civil rights protesters on the streets of Londonderry. Speaking to the PA news agency at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, after being honoured for services to journalism and public service broadcasting, he said: 'I remember being shocked at what happened and feeling guilty that I knew nothing, or very little, about the background to the conflict. 'I remember that day thinking I better start trying to find out, so I spent the past 50 years trying to do exactly that.' It took him nearly 10 years of work to get permission to make a documentary inside the high-security Maze Prison housing paramilitaries, which is no longer in operation. It was otherwise known as Long Kesh and was the site of 1981 hunger strikes. People serving sentences for murder 'and a whole series of dreadful atrocities' were inside, Mr Taylor said, adding that he gained their trust to be interviewed. The conversations were conducted without prison officers' oversight, he added. At Windsor Castle, the former BBC journalist told PA: 'In the end, when they saw the film they were glad that they had taken part because it gave a different view of the contribution that they were potentially prepared to make towards peace. 'You know you've succeeded when you get that kind of reaction, when they're clearly expecting to take you to the cleaners for what you've done, and they say 'wasn't bad for a Brit'.' He earned the trust of major figures including former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, whose funeral he attended, and Ian Paisley, previous leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), whose memorial he was invited to. The aim was 'to get behind the mask' and that 'required them trusting me, but me trusting them to be as straight as they were prepared to be'. 'They knew I had a job to do, so when I asked really difficult questions – which in most cases they tried to answer, they knew that was part of my job – they didn't take it personally, but they knew what I was trying to do.' Another major scoop was accessing the 'back channel between MI5 and the IRA' leadership. The security service ran a secret mission designed to 'encourage the IRA to stop killing people and engage in the political process', he said. The MI5 officer, unearthed by Mr Taylor and his team, was 'part and parcel' of that process. He 'flatly denied' working for MI5 when Mr Taylor first approached, but the journalist left his calling card and a book he had written titled The Provos: The IRA And Sinn Fein. Around 20 years after Mr Taylor first started working on the story, the officer wrote to him and said he had watched his documentary My Journey Through the Troubles. 'He said, if there are any gaps in your knowledge that you would like to sort out, I'm now prepared to talk to you.' Mr Taylor travelled to interview him on the condition of anonymity. Fewer programmes like Mr Taylor's are now made because of lack of funding, he said, adding that his did not attract 'huge viewing figures'. 'My worry is that public service broadcasting and the climate in which I grew up and learned my trade is under threat,' he told PA. 'It needs finances. What we do, people like me try and do, is to help people understand and make political choices and pass judgments on these extremely difficult, complex issues.' The public's appetite is changing too, he said, adding: 'People just grow weary of bombs, mayhem, murder, bad news.' Young people need to 'carry the torch onwards', which is 'a hard ask' because getting jobs and story commissions is increasingly difficult, he said.


BBC News
12 hours ago
- BBC News
West Belfast: 5G mast 'deliberately' set on fire
A fire at a 5G mast in west Belfast on Monday night is being treated as deliberate, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has said. Police received a report of the fire at about 23:50 BST at the Kilwee Business Park in the Upper Dunmurry Lane Area and firefighter extinguished the fire. In a statement police added that "some damage was caused to electronics in a nearby building". It follows a recent series of arson attacks on 5G masts, mostly in west Belfast, bringing the total to 18 since June 2023. Most of the attacks took place between January 2023 and December 2024, there were 13 incidents involving masts in west Belfast, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) has month, the PSNI said they were engaging in "proactive patrolling" of 5G masts in order to "provide greater security" around these sites after another spike in attacks. Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey has called the PSNI to "step up to the mark and bring those responsible to justice"."These reckless actions are damaging our community, disconnecting people and putting lives at risk."It's time for those involved in these attacks to recognise the harm they are causing and to stop," he added. 'Damages vital infrastructure' Belfast's Deputy Lord Mayor Paul Doherty, from the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), described the attack on Upper Dunmurry Lane as a "disgraceful act of destruction that put lives at risk and damages vital infrastructure". "These attacks are becoming more frequent and more coordinated, and those behind them must be brought to justice.""Too many people are suffering here as a result of this madness," he added.


BBC News
13 hours ago
- BBC News
PSNI to make video call service for crime victims permanent
A service allowing victims of crime to speak with police officers via video call will become a permanent feature, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has move follows a successful four-week pilot programme, known as Virtual Officer Attendance, which launched in PSNI previously said the introduction of a video call option offers people an alternative to traditional phone calls or in-person visits with police service, delivered by a specialist team at Castlereagh Police Station in Belfast, involves officers who have received dedicated training for virtual engagements. Victims of crime will be able to choose the video call option instead of a telephone or in-person visit, but in-person attendance at a police station is still available if service allows officers to talk to victims, take statements, and collect digital evidence like photos or videos during a secure video pilot scheme was inspired by a similar scheme launched by Dorset Police in England back in 2023. In setting up the pilot, the PSNI said they worked closely with officers in Dorset in order to launch their own scheme in Northern Ireland. Requirements for using video call The victim must be 18 years or older. If the victim is 17 or under, they can still use the service but must have an appropriate adult present during the victim must be involved in a crime where there is no immediate threat, risk, or alleged offender of the reported crime must not be present during the video victim must have access to a smartphone, tablet, or other device with a camera and have access to 4G or Wi-Fi. The service will not use the victim's mobile data allowance, so there is no cost to them.