Latest news with #KatieTrust
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- RTÉ News
Behind the Story: Charity hopes to give families answers to possible 'hidden homicides'
A charity established in Northern Ireland to help families who have questions about the tragic deaths of loved ones is investigating a number of cases in the Republic. These involve people whose deaths were ruled as accidental but their relatives have suspicions over what exactly happened to them. The Katie Trust was established in memory of Katie Simpson, a 21-year-old showjumper whose death in August 2020 was originally ruled as suicide. However, a year later, 36-year-old Jonathan Creswell, the partner of her sister, was arrested on suspicion of murder. His trial ended in April last year following his sudden death. A review by Northern Ireland's Police Ombudsman found the initial police investigation was flawed and had failed Katie Simpson's family. The detective who uncovered the brutal truth about her death is former detective James Brannigan who has now retired from the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Originally from Dublin, he told RTÉ's Behind the Story that he had founded The Katie Trust because families like Katie's deserve answers to what could be a "hidden homicide". "There was questions that needed to be answered surrounding Katie's death," he said. "Why did [Jonathan Cresswell] not call the ambulance, why did he try to drive her to the hospital, where's her phone? "These are simple questions that any investigator should ask". Mr Brannigan said flags were raised to him by family members and friends. "When you're dealing with an abuser, they will isolate the individual and a lot of these domestic murders you deal with are well-planned events. "It was friends who knew Katie and knew Creswell and knew how he was treating Katie that really had the real-life experience of what he was doing". Mr Brannigan said Creswell peddled a story that Katie had been trampled by a horse. "But when you saw her body, it was horrendous: all the bruises up her leg, up her arm… and her hands were like two boxing gloves – swollen and bruised. "I didn't buy it from the outset that a horse did this". Mr Brannigan said he started the charity in Katie's memory to "make sure this never happens again". "I've been just shocked by the amount of families coming forward; to date, we have 14 families who have come onboard," he said. "I've a number of cases coming from the Republic of Ireland. "The Minister of Justice has said they're going to meet with the charity and some of our trustees. "The Garda Commissioner is also trying to facilitate a meeting". 'Huge closure' Mr Brannigan said he believes the trust can help families of victims as well as the State. "It's not just going to assist families, but it's also going to assist the Department of Justice and the police." Mr Brannigan explained that the trust hopes to examine cases classified as suicides, accidents or disappearances and their family has concern over how their loved one died. "If we look at that and we can say to the family, 'we can see that there's no other hand involved in your loved one's death', that's going to give them huge closure," he added. In a statement to Behind the Story, the Department of Justice said: "Under Irish law, criminal investigations can only be carried out by An Garda Síochána, which then submits a report to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). "The DPP decides whether or not someone should be prosecuted and for what crime. By law, both the Gardaí and the DPP are independent in their functions and neither the Minister nor the Department can intervene or direct either organisation to prosecute any particular case."
BBC News
18-07-2025
- BBC News
Katie Simpson: New charity 'a legacy' to murdered young showjumper
The family of a young showjumper whose death led to a policing controversy say a new charitable trust in her name will help other Simpson, 21, died six days after being admitted to Altnagelvin Hospital in August Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) initially treated her death as suicide, but her family raised questions about the direction of the original police probe and the case was eventually upgraded to a murder investigation.A showjumping trainer, Jonathan Creswell, 36, died in 2024 while on trial for the murder of Ms Simpson, who was from the village of Tynan in County Armagh. On Friday, some members of her family attended the official launch of The Katie 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 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 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 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 previous day, during opening submissions in front of a jury, a prosecution lawyer outlined how Creswell allegedly raped, strangled and killed Ms 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 Simpson lived with Creswell and his partner Christina, who was her sister, at the time of her had been described as an abusive and controlling women avoided jail last year after admitting offences connected to her Robinson, Rose De Montmorency-Wright, and Hayley Robb were given suspended prison sentences.
