Katie Simpson: Police misconduct found in early stages of investigation

Police officers "committed misconduct" in the initial stages of the investigation into the 2020 murder of showjumper Katie Simpson, the chief constable has told the Policing Board.

Jon Boutcher said the PSNI had received a 1,400 page Police Ombudsman report.

Ms Simpson's murder was originally thought by police to have been a suicide.

Mr Boutcher said the misconduct identified by the ombudsman was not "gross or criminal".

Responding to a question from Alliance MLA and board member Nuala McAllister, he added that a disciplinary process is under way within the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

Ms Simpson died following an incident in Gortnessy Meadows, Lettershandoney, on 3 August 2020.

The 21-year-old, who was from the village of Tynan in County Armagh, died in Altnagelvin Hospital six days later, having never regained consciousness.

The trial of a man for the murder of Ms Simpson ended abruptly last week after the defendant, Jonathan Creswell, was found dead.

Sentencing against three co-accused women, who pleaded guilty before Mr Creswell's trial began, will now be brought forward.

Ms McAllister has previously told BBC NI she had made disclosures to the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland about the case.

She said the issues she has brought to the attention of the ombudsman "raise a lot of questions as to why Katie's murder was treated as a suicide for the first few months".

"It is very, very frightening to know that this took place in society, and it was quite obviously a murder and the police did not treat it as such and I think that we need to get to the bottom of this," she said.

Speaking to the BBC's Evening Extra programme on Thursday, Ms McAllister said that she was "not satisfied" with what was said at Policing Board meeting.

She said: "I respect that there was information which he [John Boucher] could not go into, and I was not surprised by any of the information which was shared.

"A lot of concerns have been vindicated, and that is important for people.

"But not all the concerns have been addressed," she added.

The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland launched an investigation in 2021 after receiving complaints about the police investigation into the circumstances of Ms Simpson's death.

The police watchdog submitted a misconduct file to the Professional Standards Department of the PSNI last April about the conduct of what is believed to be six police officers.

The rank of the officers involved has not been disclosed publicly.