Katie simpson Inquest to Assess Potential Relevance of Sky Documentary
BELFAST – The inquest into the death of showjumper Katie Simpson may consider a recently released Sky documentary as part of its ongoing investigation, a court hearing revealed Thursday. Coroner Philip Henry informed the court his team will obtain and assess the documentary for potentially relevant material, particularly the content of interviews conducted for the series.
The update came during a hearing focused on the extensive disclosure of evidence in the case. Counsel for the coroner, Mr. Henry, detailed the progress made examining documents provided by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Police ombudsman for Northern Ireland.
The PSNI has provided “non-sensitive” material which has been fully reviewed,with requests made for additional items. However, access to all “sensitive” police material remains incomplete, prompting a request from the coroner for a timeline from the PSNI’s barrister, Mark Robinson, who assured the court police would work “expeditiously” to meet deadlines.
The scope of the investigation is considerable. Previously, the court learned there are 352 police files containing an estimated 25,000 to 29,000 pages, including 44 police reports, 77 transmission files, 165 exhibits, 237 statements, and 53 interview files. The coroner’s team is also working through 781 files supplied by the Police Ombudsman. The State Pathologist has also been contacted for any relevant pathology material.
An interim report from the Police Ombudsman,published last November,found the initial police inquiry into Ms. Simpson’s death to be “flawed” and recommended disciplinary action against six officers.
Eugene McKenna, representing Ms. Simpson’s next-of-kin, raised the issue of the Sky documentary, having written to the coroner’s office in July. He received a response indicating the matter would be kept under review and noted he was aware the documentary featured interviews with “a number of personalities” who may hold relevant information.
“There may be material there that may be of relevance to your investigation,” Mr. McKenna stated.
Mr. Henry confirmed the documentary is now “publicly available” and that his team has “already taken steps” to acquire copies. he added, “The contents of those interviews are likely to be potentially relevant.”
The hearing was adjourned until December 2nd to allow for the continued review of the large volume of evidence.
Context: Katie Simpson, a promising showjumper, died in August 2020. Her death was initially treated as a road traffic accident, but a subsequent investigation led to a murder inquiry. The case has drawn significant attention in Northern Ireland, particularly following scrutiny of the initial police investigation and the recent publication of a critical report by the Police Ombudsman.
