A horse trainer accused of murdering and raping a 21-year-old female showjumper has been found dead before the second day of his trial was to begin.
Jonathan Creswell, 36, had denied raping and strangling Katie Simpson at Gortnessy Meadows, Lettershandoney, Northern Ireland, in August 2020.
Before the second day of his trial, the jury at Londonderry crown court, sitting in Coleraine, was told that the circumstances around Creswell’s death were not suspicious. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Gibson told the court police and the ambulance service were called to a property at 9am on Wednesday where a body was discovered.
The officer said a family member had confirmed that it was Creswell, who had been granted bail at the Belfast High Court in April 2021. Gibson