The Claire Byrne Show
‘Institutional misogyny’ blamed for warning signs missed in PSNI Katie Simpson inquiry
06 May 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What were the findings of the report on Katie Simpson's murder investigation?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk with Aviva Insurance. Now, though, we move to another story which has made the headlines over the course of the last day or so. Katie, let down at every step, rendered invisible in her own murder.
A report has found that the investigation by the PSNI into the murder of showjumper Katie Simpson was a profound failure, characterised by a culture of misogyny and complacency. Well, joining me to discuss this further is James Brannigan, a former PSNI officer who worked on this case and has since set up the Katie Trust. James, good morning.
Morning Clare, how are you?
I'm good, thanks for being with us. What did you think when you saw the report yesterday? You were hardly surprised by much of what was in there, I would imagine.
You're still shocked when you're reading it, when you see the magnitude of what happened on a systemic level across a number of statutory areas and then within the equestrian sector. I was always aware of what was going to come from the report in relation to the equestrian sector.
But it is the police failings, the ombudsman failings, you know, the misogyny that played out where senior officers giving their accounts of why they wouldn't investigate it based on misogyny approach. You know, it is shocking when you do read it. It was very hard yesterday.
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Chapter 2: How did James Brannigan react to the report's revelations?
to be in Stormont with the family and, you know, what they're going through and the pain they're going through when they read this report of how Katie was failed on so many levels. And as we're seeing in the charity and we see so many other people are in the same boat.
So you were with the family yesterday, James, were you?
Yeah, I was, yeah.
you know I've been with them since the day and hour I linked in with them over this case and some of them are working on the chair issue with me now but it's just very tough and you know we're going to have an inquest to come which will then highlight other things but you know it's a constant reminder for the family but it should be a reminder for everybody that nothing like this should ever happen again
Jonathan Creswell, I mean, in the report it is said or suggested that 37 more people have complained about him, but also there's a suggestion that he was in contact with other known abusers too.
Yeah, and it's the concern. I've been in talks for the last number of months with the Horse Racing Ireland, Horse Sport Ireland, and the British Horse Racing Authority because of what was going on at the ISO, what was going on within the equine industry. And it's not to just come down hard on the equine industry. There's some great people in it.
Katie loved this industry, but something needs to be done to develop better safeguarding in it because that's where the fertile ground was for for Jonathan Creswell to abuse these victims.
And for argument's sake, the prime example is this, when he was locked up for six months for a vicious attack on his previous girlfriend, the hunt that he was associated to in Armagh had a welcoming home party for him when he got out of jail.
yeah and i remember seeing that in the documentary that that you featured in it was just quite shocking how he operated with impunity and you know this report says that katie was invisible in the investigation into her own murder and i think that's a really telling line isn't it that really she seemed to be the last consideration which is incomprehensible really when you think about it
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Chapter 3: What role does misogyny play in the context of this investigation?
Yeah, when you look at her murder, and I always go back to this, you look at it at a macro level. She was a semi-naked lady in a car covered in bruises. And the guy driving the car said she's hung herself. You know, at what point do we look at him instead of looking at her? And this is what has to change. And in the report yesterday, there's...
Research pointed to, in relation to identifying reoccurring indicators for staged homicides, and it's research done by two researchers, Yifat Biza and Hava Dayan in 2020. And the six reoccurring factors all appeared in this case with Katie. And this is research that's available.
And in our charity work we're doing, we've over 100 families now, and 25% of our cases have these six recurring indicators in it also. They show that they should be treated as homicides. And how do we stop this happening again? That's something we're working on here, and I think we have to be
proactive on this and not coming out with the platitudes to the family now yes there's learning from this no it needs action and it needs action very soon.
You went into this case with fresh eyes I mean the investigation was already up and running but it seems to me from what I know about it that it was pretty clear to you from the get-go that there was something really very wrong with where the investigation had gone.
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Chapter 4: What specific failings were identified in the PSNI's handling of the case?
Yeah, I was based in Armagh, this happened up in Derry, and when a member of the public came to me, asked me had I heard about this and to look at it. And as soon as I started looking at basic questions, like any questions a family should have, how did this happen? Where was her phone? How did she do that? Why did he get her down? Why did he not call an ambulance?
These are basic questions that an investigator should look at. And when I started looking at it, this is where the intimidation started from senior officers warning me not to look at it for whatever reason. And that's still being looked at by the Ombudsman. But I have to give credit to the uniformed officers on the day. They felt there was something wrong here.
They were wanted to their senior officers to look at it. They always thought it was suspicious. I suppose the detectives that Really, we're working on the confirmation bias that has been highlighted in this report.
And in another bit of research with Dr. Johnson, over 100 hidden homicides, the prevailing factor in those was the performance by the perpetrator and where you're dealing with a sociopath. And they're doing a great performance at that time when police walk in the door. It is the confirmation bias that the police then take on. And that's what happened in this case.
It was the confirmation bias with those senior detectives.
And you believe Jonathan Creswell was a sociopath, do you?
Totally, yes. Like when... Two social workers were going to meet him and these social workers had 18 years experience. I asked him to come into my office, let them read a statement from one of his victims. And when they came back, they were shocked. They were saying, James, we would be telling you you've got this all wrong only for we've read those statements.
You know, he just comes across so plausible. And this is the way these sociopaths work. It's all about the image, the narrative, controlling the people around them. And anybody who's a threat to them, they will isolate away from them.
You mentioned Katie's Trust, and I know that you're asking families to get in touch with you. Now, you said that you have 100 cases there so far. So I don't know if you're appealing for more people to come to you and come to the Trust, or is your workload now, are you very stretched with what you have to look at?
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Chapter 5: What recurring indicators were found in cases similar to Katie's?
And it's not a case of
going against the state the police we can assist the state we can save the department of justice millions going forward if we sit between as an independent impartial charity between the state and the family and we get the questions answered for them but also with families where we show there's no third party involvement we get the experts to sit down to family and show there's no third party involvement and that's all they need is it to be the reason to listen to them and somebody yeah and explain to them why why we can show this
OK, well, James, it's good to talk to you and people can do a quick search for the Katie Trust. Two things I want to tell you about if you want to know more about this case. Death of a Showjumper is a documentary that was made about Katie Simpson and what happened to her. It is a Sky documentary, so you can find it there on Now TV.
But also Katie's Aunt Paula Mullen features on today's episode of News Talk Daily. Let's listen to a clip of Paula.
It's not easy. It's not easy, you know, because there's a lot of what ifs. You know, what if the police had listened to us at the start? What if we never had him at the wake, in the wake house, touching her hair, you know, at the funeral? Me and Chief Mourner, them things haunt a family.
It's an extraordinary story. Well worth a listen.
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Chapter 6: How can families seek justice and answers regarding unsolved cases?
If you want to hear more of that interview, you can find Newstalk Daily on Go Loud or wherever you get your podcasts. The Clare Byrne Show. With Aviva Insurance. Weekday mornings at 9 on Newstalk. Conversation that counts.