Jonathan Creswell and the murder of Katie Simpson.

It was more than institutional misogyny, it was deliberately not looking into it. Her family and staff at the hospital who treated her while she was in a coma brought attention to the injuries she had that were not consistent with suicide by hanging, and these were not logged. This is from KRW law on behalf of the Simpson family:

Hospital staff raised concerns about Katie’s presentation and injuries, yet these concerns were neither properly examined nor followed through. Warnings raised by members of the public, by family members – including Paul Lusby and Katie’s aunt – and by healthcare professionals went without investigation or were effectively disregarded. 

The Review records that Katie herself became “an afterthought”, marginalised and disconnected from decision-making, while the account of Jonathan Cresswell was privileged and left largely unchallenged. 

The Review catalogues extensive PSNI failings, including: 

• Failure to speak with Katie’s parents at a critical early stage 
• Failure to photograph injuries or properly collect and preserve clothing 
• Poor communication between police and paramedics 
• Failure to ensure a supervising officer of Detective Sergeant rank attended the scene 
• Treating the case as suicide from the outset, placing it outside the Death Investigation Service remit 

Not only that but when a police officer in another jurisdiction was given information about the case from someone aware of Creswell's abusive nature and decided to investigate he was warned off from investigating 'Johnny' by the Derry PSNI. His own jurisiction were supportive and they used a loophole that on weekends they had jurisdiction over the entirety of Northern Ireland to take the case. They successfully did investigate and Creswell was charged with murder and some of his female acolytes were also charged with perverting the course of justice and withholding information. This police officer, who was a hero, was so disillusioned about the level of corruption involved that he left policing altogether.

I must read that. I saw a BBC documentary and the Death of a showjumper documentary, as well as read a few articles. It was absolutely horrific, particularly listening to Abi Lyle's description of her abuse. She was so lucky to have a supportive family and to be supported by the domestic abuse liason officer. Poor Katie, she was so young and must have spent years in terror. To be living in such close quarters with her abuser and her own sister turning a blind eye is unfathomable. The mentality of people in that Showjumping/hunt set was almost cultlike.

Abi Lyle was incredible. I admire her so much for continuing in that sport, it must have been so hard considering the reception Creswell got when he first came out of prison. He definitely seemed protected, he should have faced much worse charges for what he did to her; how was the bath filled with bleach not anything but attempted murder? I had chills listening to her, I can only imagine what Katie went through. We don't actually know what he did to her for the years leading up to her death.