The initial police investigation into the death of showjumper Katie Simpson was âflawedâ, a police watchdog review has concluded.
The Police Ombudsman investigation also found it had âfailedâ Ms Simpsonâs family.
Ms Simpson (21), from Tynan, Co Armagh, died in Altnagelvin Area Hospital almost a week after an incident in Gortnessy Meadows, Lettershandoney, on August 3rd, 2020.
Police originally thought she had taken her own life.
It was not until the following year that Jonathan Creswell, the partner of Ms Simpsonâs sister, was arrested on suspicion of murder.
The trial of Creswell (36) for the murder of Ms Simpson ended in April following his sudden death.
The Ombudsmanâs investigation concluded that the police investigation was hindered by the misleading working assumption adopted by a number of officers that Ms Simpsonâs injuries were self-inflicted.
They criticised a âlack of investigative mindsetâ taking into account police had received intelligence that Ms Simpson may have been the victim of controlling behaviours, that the attempted suicide was suspicious, that she had not fallen from a horse and that medical staff had also expressed concerns about the circumstances of her injuries.
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Police Ombudsman chief executive Hugh Hume said although this intelligence was viewed and logged by police, it âdid not change the direction of the police investigationâ.
âThere appeared to be a general lack of an investigative mindset which contributed to shortcomings,â he said.
The investigation found there were no effective searches carried out at Ms Simpsonâs address and that no supervisory officer attended the house at the initial stages of the investigation.
Among the other investigative failings identified by the Police Ombudsman was the lack of consideration given to gathering potential physical evidence from Ms Simpson herself, including blood samples and photographs of her injuries, despite police being aware at an early stage that she was unlikely to survive.
The Police Ombudsman investigation identified breaches of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Code of Ethics in respect of professional duty, the conduct of police investigations and the duty of supervisors.
As a result, disciplinary recommendations were made to the PSNI in respect of six police officers. No action was taken against three officers, two of whom had retired and one for whom no misconduct was proven.
One police officer received a written warning, another received action aimed at improving performance and one received management advice.
A number of recommendations have been made. â PA
