Groomed: Coercion, Control And A Cold-Blooded Murder

The horrifying story of Jonathan Cresswell and the rape and murder of 21 year old showjumper Katie Simpson, who was initially thought to have taken her own life until Cresswell's crime was uncovered Jonathan Cresswell was a dangerous and violent man, particularly to women. He manipulated his many girlfriends using coercive control and physically assaulted them if they didn't do as he wished.

In August 2020 he raped and murdered showjumper Katie Simpson, the sister of his partner and the aunt of his two children. He attempted to cover up the murder and pretended he had found her hanging from the landing in their shared home, and he very nearly got away with it. Only the persistence of an investigative journalist, suspicious nurses and Katie's concerned family and friends caused the PSNI to open a case almost five months after her death. During the resulting trial Cresswell killed himself.

Three other women were charged with helping him to conceal his crime, and each received a suspended sentence due their deference of being under Cresswell's control.

Nicola Tallant is a three-time winner of Crime Journalist of the Year award in Ireland. In 2024, Cocaine Cowboys was shortlisted for the True Crime Awards for Outstanding Investigative Reporting. Nicola specialises in organised and gangland crime. She is the author of a number of books and works as the Crime and Investigations Editor at Sunday World. She has a weekly podcast Crime World and is also a regular contributor on The Stand with Eamon Dunphy

Ideal for readers who…

• Have been listening to the Crime World podcast and want the full story — Groomed is also a nine-part investigative podcast series from Crime World, presented by Nicola Tallant. The book goes further than any single episode, with the complete investigation in one place.
• Read Nicola Tallant's previous books and trust her reporting — Tallant's earlier book The Witness was a bestseller, and its podcast companion won Podcast of the Year at the Irish Journalism Awards. Groomed is built on the same standard of investigative work, applied to one of the most disturbing cases she has covered.
• Remember the Katie Simpson case and want to understand how the truth came out — Katie Simpson's death was initially treated as suicide. It took the persistence of an investigative journalist, concerned nurses, and Katie's own family and friends before the truth was uncovered. This book tells that story in full, including details that have not been reported elsewhere.
• Want to understand coercive control and how it operates within a community — Jonathan Creswell maintained control over multiple women simultaneously while remaining a respected figure within the equestrian world. This book is as much about how that control went unseen for so long as it is about the crime itself.
• Are interested in how institutions fail to protect people — and what happens when they do — the case raised serious questions about safeguarding within the equestrian industry, and about how warning signs were missed by people and systems that should have intervened. This is investigative journalism with real consequences for how an entire industry now operates.
• Read Irish true crime for the reporting, not just the story — Nicola Tallant is one of Ireland's most respected investigative journalists, and this book reflects years of sourcing, interviews, and dogged pursuit of a case that very nearly went unanswered. This is journalism first, true crime second.

ISBN

9781804442111

Format

Paperback

Publisher

Eriu, (11 June 2026)

Number of Pages

272

Weight

182 grams

Language

English

Dimensions

199 x 130 x 17 mm

Categories:

Serial killers and murderers Riding, showjumping and horsemanship