PSNI investigation of Creswell indecent exposure allegation ‘failed victim’

A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) investigation into an allegation of indecent exposure made against Jonathan Creswell in 2016 was inadequate and failed the victim, the Police Ombudsman has found.

Creswell took his own life in 2024 while on trial for the murder of 21-year-old Katie Simpson in 2020, which he had denied.

The Police Ombudsman said it subsequently received a complaint from a woman raising concerns about how police dealt with a report she made that Creswell exposed himself to her.

In a statement, the PSNI said “the actions of the officers involved did not meet the expectations of the PSNI or the victim”.

Creswell was a showjumping trainer and the partner of Katie’s sister.

The indecent exposure complaint, made in January 2016, said the incident happened at a horse yard in October 2015.

Police Ombudsman director of investigations, Nikki Davis, said “police failed the complainant, both as a woman and as a victim”.

“Indecent exposure is a serious crime and can indicate a potential for escalating sexual offending, so it is important that reports are robustly investigated,” Davis said.

She said that “unless reports of sexual offences are properly investigated, victims will be less likely to come forward, offenders will remain free to reoffend, and efforts to combat violence and sexual offending against women and girls will be undermined”.