The former partner of Natalie McNally has been found guilty of her murder.
It took the jury of six men and six women two hours to find Stephen McCullagh (36), from Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, Co Antrim, guilty of killing McNally (32) – who was 15 weeks pregnant with his child – at her home in Silverwood Green, Lurgan, Co Armagh, on the night of Sunday, December 18th, 2022.
The verdict was unanimous.
McCullagh was sentenced to life imprisonment – which is mandatory for such a crime – with the minimum tariff to be set at a later date.
Family and friends of the victim cheered and hugged in court after the verdict was announced, and a number broke down in tears.
Judge Patrick Kinney thanked them for the way they had attended the pretrial proceedings and the trial itself, and praised them for the “dignity” they had shown.
“I know this is a difficult day as well for the family,” he said.
The McNally family and their friends and supporters applauded the jurors as they left the courtroom, after the judge thanked them “for the way you have carried out your duties” in this “very difficult trial involving some very traumatic evidence”.
He said they had shown diligence, commitment and patience, and in view of the “distressing nature” of the trial they were released from jury service in the future.
McCullagh stood without expression in the dock as the verdict was read out.
During the five-week trial at Belfast Crown Court, jurors heard McCullagh had “lied and lied again” and “peddled this false alibi” that he was live streaming on YouTube on the evening of McNally’s murder.
The crime was a “planned, calculated, premeditated murder” which McCullagh had “hoped to get away with”, prosecutors said at the outset of the four-week trial at Belfast Crown Court.
An “elaborate” alibi – a six-hour YouTube live stream which was in fact pre-recorded – was initially accepted by police and not uncovered until more than a month after McNally’s death.
The prosecution said that on the night of her murder he had instead travelled by public transport to McNally’s home, carried out the “prolonged assault” which left her with multiple fatal injuries and caused the death of her unborn child.
He then played the grieving partner and father-to-be, convincing the McNally family he was “distraught”.
McCullagh denied the charge and, in a case built entirely from circumstantial evidence, declined to give evidence on his own behalf, instead blaming an ex-boyfriend of McNally’s.
Speaking outside the court, the McNally family thanked family, friends and the wider public for their support, saying that without it “we would not have got through this most difficult time in our lives.”
McNally’s brother Niall McNally said that as his sister “receives justice today, our hearts go out to all the victims of violence against women and girls.
“Our hope is that all the victims and families get their day in court, and the justice they deserve.”
Another brother, Declan McNally, described Natalie McNally as an “inspirational person” who would have been “an amazing mother to baby Dean.”
He said that having her in their lives “was the greatest joy we’ll ever have”, adding “we will love you forever and we hope you can now rest easy.” – Additional reporting: PA