WHEN Katie Simpson’s loved ones heard she’d tried to take her own life, they were lost for words.
For the fearless – who dreamt of one day buying her own horse – had never shown signs of .
Katie Simpson was 21 years old when she was murdered
Katie was a fearless showjumper who one day dreamt of buying her own horse
Jill Robinson previously dated Johnny Creswell and was firmly under his spell
Even amongst the grief, they had nothing but praise for the charismatic hero who had tried to save her.
– the long-term partner of Katie’s sister Christina, whom he had two kids with – had, it appeared, done all he could to keep Katie alive.
The jockey-turned-trainer, known as Johnny, told police that on August 3, 2020, he’d arrived at the home they shared in Lettershandoney, County Derry, .
After opening the front door, he saw, to his horror, Katie hanging from the banister.
He then told them he’d cut her down and rushed to her car to get her to hospital, while also calling
Weeping, he said he’d relentlessly performed CPR on her by the roadside, moments before an ambulance came to take over.
Yet it would later become apparent that his version of events were far from the truth.
In fact, Creswell – who ran a local stable yard in Derry with Christina and Katie – was brimming with dark secrets.
When died in hospital six days later, he seemed as grief-stricken as her loved ones.
“Johnny and Christina were absolutely devastated. There’s no words to describe how inconsolable they were,” pal Jill Robinson, 43, says in a new , called Death Of A Showjumper.
At Katie’s funeral, Creswell helped carry her coffin.
But one mourner watching on – a family friend and journalist called – couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.
She’d covered a court case, ten years previously, in which Creswell had viciously attacked and tried to kill his then partner, Abi Lyle .
The details of that abuse are laid bare in the three-part series – which tells the story of Katie’s death and the subsequent police , through interviews with family, friends and investigators.
It was like somebody kind of ripped your heart out and crushed it like an Easter egg, but he talked his way out of it
Jill Robinson
In it, Abi, now 40 and a who competed for Ireland in last year, reveals how she’d met Creswell at a horse show in 2008, 12 years before Katie’s death.
Then 23, she was completely bowled over by his charm and natural talent for showjumping.
But it wasn’t long before he started rifling through Abi’s phone, accusing her of cheating and becoming violent.
Katie Simpson with sister Christine as a child
Katie Simpson, pictured competing at a showjumping event
Left to right: Jason Simpson, sisters Rebecca and Christine Simpson with mother Noleen Mullan, who worked with investigators to uncover the truth
Abi Lyle, a successful Olympian and ex of Jonny Creswell’s
After a row, things got even worse when Creswell picked her up from a night out with friends in his car and repeatedly hit her. Not long after she was left fearing for her life.
She says: “One time he drove into the woods. He was kicking me, hitting me, strangling me… I thought, ‘Don’t die. Don’t let him kill you’.”
Her parents had already lost her brother and Abi didn’t want to be another cause for grief.
Later, Creswell filled a bath with bleach and tried to put her in it, but Abi managed to flee and get help.
One time he drove into the woods. He was kicking me, hitting me, strangling me… I thought, ‘Don’t die. Don’t let him kill you’
Abi Lyle, Olympian
Remarkably, despite the gravity of his abuse, a plea bargain meant more serious charges in his case were dropped.
Deluded Jill refused to believe he could have done the things Abi suggested.
She says: “You were thinking, ‘why would somebody drop the charges? How do you go from that to that?’ So, I thought, he must be telling the truth.”
Creswell served just three months in prison for instead.
When he came out 30 pals even hosted a ‘welcome home Johnny’ party and gossiped about Abi for trying to tarnish his reputation.
‘Like a Jilly Cooper novel’
Journalist Tanya Fowles recalled when Creswell viciously attacked and tried to kill Abi Lyle
DS James Brannigan helped Tanya uncover the truth about Katie
For oblivious Abi, the gang of friends were “sort of like a little family”.
Seven of them lived under the same roof – Creswell, partner Christina and their two kids, Katie – who shared a room with rising equestrian star Rose De Montmorency-Wright – and horse groomer Hayley Robb.
Jill, who worked in a yard with them and was best friends with Christina, described their bond as like “living the horsey dream” and “a bit like a Jilly Cooper novel”.
Creswell was known for his ability to “get inside a horse’s head”, but he also had a way of manipulating women.
He had also dated Jill prior to Abi, in 2008, and had her firmly under his spell.
He was the first man she loved and had been left heartbroken by.
She says: “This [relationship] was different. It was all-consuming.”
As time went by she was aware other girls were calling and she was being played.
Jill says: “The first time that I sort of thought he was somebody else, it was just complete devastation.
“Literally, like somebody kind of ripped your heart out and crushed it like an Easter egg, but he talked his way out of it.”
She admits: “I took everything he [Creswell] said as gospel. I suppose it was sort of cult-like. Everything he said was the be all and end all.”
Pursuit of justice
Prior to her death, Katie had been fearing for her life
Creswell had a way of manipulating women
Katie’s family following a press conference at KRW Solicitors in Belfast after receiving the police ombudsman report into her death
When Tanya contacted police in Derry following Katie’s death, to flag Abi’s assault case, they were dismissive and hostile.
“You are nothing but a curtain twitcher. Go back to your life. Leave it alone,” one officer reportedly told her.
But Tanya didn’t leave it. She contacted a detective she trusted – DS James Brannigan in County Armagh – and told him about Abi.
At first the Derry investigation team told him Katie had previously attempted suicide, which made it look likely.
But when James checked the logs, he found the same incident had been recorded twice by mistake.
He also discovered Katie had a
After meeting that partner and reading their texts from the night before Katie’s death, he realised that she feared for her life.
DS Brannigan now believed that Creswell had killed Katie out of jealousy.
A post-mortem autopsy of Katie – not done at the time of her death – also revealed she was raped.
Sordid sex revelations
Creswell revealed he had been in a sexual relationship with Katie for years
It became clear Creswell had lied about trying to save Katie by performing CPR on her
In 2020 Creswell was arrested and quizzed by police – but later granted bail at the High Court when friends stumped up cash to help him.
Much to DS Brannigan’s surprise, he insisted he had been in a sexual relationship with Katie for years – since she was 17 – and had slept with her multiple times the night before she died.
“She was my soulmate,” he later told Jill. “You can’t help who you fall in love with.”
But DS Brannigan didn’t buy it.
Katie’s phone was also missing. Creswell initially told police the phone must have fallen out of the car.
But in later interviews, after realising police could prove her phone had been in the hospital, he admitted to dumping it in a field near where he kept his horses.
It was also clear Creswell had lied about trying to save Katie by performing CPR on her.
He could just completely destroy your self confidence with a look
Jill Robinson
DS Brannigan says: “We had the recording from the ambulance service, and you can hear Creswell going, ‘123… 123’ doing CPR.
“But at that exact time, he was putting Katie’s phone into flight mode.”
Even his account of where Katie was hanging didn’t add up – because the rope was too short for her face to have fallen where he said.
On March 6, 2021, Creswell was finally charged with Katie’s murder and rape – the first of what would prove to be several criminal charges relating to her death.
In another twist, the depths of Creswell’s cheating was also becoming clear.
Web of deceit
Left to right: Hayley Rob, Katie Simpson and Rose de Montmorency Wright
Housemate Hayley Robb came forward to police to say that she, too, had been in a relationship with Creswell.
showed his former lovers, Jill and Hayley, disposing of Creswell’s clothes at a service station laundrette.
Jill and Hayley later admitted they had been asked by Creswell to take his clothes – Hayley had even wiped Katie’s blood from the bannister – and both were charged with perverting the course of justice.
Jill was sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years.
Hayley was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years.
Jill insists she never thought for a minute that by washing Creswell’s clothes that day, she was helping to cover up a murder.
Speaking through tears in the documentary, she says: “Every single day, I ask myself, ‘Why the hell did I, you know, do that? Why did I wash them?’ You just didn’t question anything.”
The other housemate – Rose – also pleaded guilty to withholding information by not coming forward sooner to tell police Creswell had previously attacked Katie.
She was sentenced to eight months, suspended for two years.
I felt glad because I don’t want him to be on this planet. I do not want him to breathe our air
Abi Lyle
After his arrest, Creswell continued calling friends from custody.
But on April 24 last year, one day after the prosecution had outlined their case at his trial, Creswell took his own life.
He died having denied all charges.
Abi says: ”I felt glad because I don’t want him to be on this planet. I do not want him to breathe our air.
“From the way things turned out in the end, he was more scared of us than we were of him.”
The Police Service (PSNI), who had initially tried to close further investigations into Katie’s death, later apologised to Katie’s family after a watchdog concluded the initial investigation had failed them.
Death of A Showjumper airs on Sky and NOW TV
For Jill, the regret is there every day.
She also concealed from the PSNI that she had been attacked by Creswell during the relationship.
But the bond was still so tight that, worried she’d get him into trouble when police quizzed her, she initially lied when they asked if he had ever been violent to her.
Jill says: “It would just be more of a pushing and shoving and pulling your hair and slap you on the face… nothing horrendous but it still wasn’t acceptable.
“You just got on with it. What was harder was the more things he said to you mentally.
“He could just completely destroy your self-confidence with a look. It completely alters your personality and your brain chemistry. He just had everybody round his little finger.”
She adds: “I’m deeply sorry. It’s still very early days of trying to wrap your head around how you can let somebody have so much control over you and cloud your judgement and let you make rash, stupid decisions that, in turn, can wreck your life.
”It’s just unfathomable how one person has actually caused so much destruction in so many people’s lives.”
Death of A Showjumper airs September 7 on Sky and streaming service NOW.
Abi says she’s glad Creswell is no longer on this planet 
