It is “abundantly clear” that police got things wrong in the initial investigation into the death of showjumper Katie Simpson, the chief constable has said.
Jon Boutcher admitted the PSNI has “huge lessons to learn” from the case.
He also criticised a BBC Spotlight documentary for “damaging and disparaging” claims that DCI John Caldwell had been resistant to investigating her death.
He confirmed Mr Caldwell was not among three police officers facing misconduct proceedings over the investigation.
Ms Simpson (21) died in hospital six days after an incident in a house in Co Londonderry in August 2020.
The PSNI initially accepted the word of Jonathan Creswell, who died while on trial for Ms Simpson’s murder, in August 2020 when he claimed he had found her trying to take her own life.
Last week’s Spotlight documentary contained an interview with Alliance MLA Nuala McAllister, who said she was told Mr Caldwell had been hesitant to investigate Ms Simpson’s death.
Speaking at the Policing Board, Mr Boutcher said the comments made in the Spotlight documentary “were not consistent with facts”.
“The programme was disparaging and damaging to [DCI Caldwell’s] professional reputation and, in turn, public confidence in the police,” he said.
“Comments included in the programme were not reflective, having read the material, of the facts. John is not subject to misconduct proceedings and did not conduct the role of senior investigating officer in relation to the case.
“In my view, the attention on him is because he is a known public figure for sad and tragic reasons,” Mr Boutcher added, referring to the attempt on Mr Caldwell’s life in February 2023 when he was shot in a car park in Omagh.
“The use of his name and perceived role is considered an interest to the public, rather than public interest.”
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Mr Boutcher also slammed the attention on Mr Caldwell as a “distraction” to the wider case surrounding Katie Simpson and he confirmed with the Police Ombudsman that Mr Caldwell is not facing an investigation.
The BBC has been contacted for comment.
In his opening remarks about the case involving Ms Simpson, Mr Boutcher said it was clear the PSNI “got things wrong”.
“Please be assured I have read extensively about this matter, and that includes the post-mortem, doctor and Ombudsman reports, and I have spoken to a number of people. It is abundantly clear we got things wrong from the beginning,” he said.
Eighteen complaints have been made to the Police Ombudsman’s Office regarding the Katie Simpson murder investigation, and misconduct proceedings were levelled at three officers.
“There are a number of shortcomings in our initial investigation. We relied far too much on any presenting medical evidence and what had happened to Katie and the forensic post-mortem,” added Mr Boutcher.
“This was a shocking crime, with a devastating impact on that family. The crime itself was shocking enough to endure for that family. The aftermath of the reporting and the examination of how the matter was dealt with has brought no doubt more upset and trauma,” he added.
“I am meeting the family in the near future and look forward to talking to them about what we did and what we did not do, and what we got wrong.”
He also acknowledged that evidence was likely “decimated” and the PSNI was “not professionally curious enough” and “did not do enough in responding to concerns raised”.
Mr Boutcher also said police systems failed to identify Creswell’s previous serious offending, but said the matter was “less about officers’ actions” and more about the PSNI as an organisation “not getting it right”.
He also referred to how the PSNI made mistakes in only speaking to Jonathan Creswell at the hospital after Ms Simpson was brought in, instead of her family.
“We didn’t listen to people who were trying to raise flags, including our own people who were trying to raise concerns about Creswell’s behaviour. We have huge lessons to learn. Huge. I cannot apologise to the family enough”.