A horse trainer accused of murdering and raping a 21-year-old show jumper was found dead before the second day of his trial began.

Jonathan Creswell, 36, had denied raping and strangling Katie Simpson in 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 surrounding Creswell’s death were not suspicious. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Gibson told the court that police and the ambulance service were called to a property at 9am yesterday where a body was discovered.

The officer said a family member had confirmed it was Creswell, who had been granted bail at Belfast High Court in April 2021. Gibson added