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Stephen McCullagh to appeal 31-year sentence for Natalie McNally murder

Auryn CoxBBC News NI
News imagePacemaker Natalie McNally. She has long blonde hair and is wearing a long khaki coat and standing on a beach.Pacemaker
Natalie McNally was 15 weeks pregnant when she died at her home in Lurgan in December 2022

Stephen McCullagh has lodged an appeal against the sentence he received for murdering his pregnant partner Natalie McNally.

McCullagh, 36, from Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, County Antrim, denied murdering Natalie, who was killed in her Silverwood Green home in Lurgan on 18 December 2022.

He was found guilty in March, after a trial lasting more than four weeks.

The 31-year sentence is the minimum term McCullagh must serve in custody before he can be considered for release by parole commissioners.

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has been notified that an appeal against the sentence has been lodged.

Natalie was 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed.

On 19 December 2022, McCullagh was arrested at the scene after apparently discovering her body.

But he was released by police after he told them he could not have killed her because at the time of her death he was live streaming on YouTube.

Detectives later uncovered evidence showing the YouTube gaming stream he claimed provided an alibi had in fact been pre-recorded and broadcast as though it were live.

News imageSocial media A man with brown hair, a beard and moustache looking at the camera. He is wearing a brown t-shirt. Behind him there are three wooden chairs and a cabinet. Social media
Stephen McCullagh tried to use a pre-recorded YouTube stream as his alibi in the murder investigation

CCTV footage, mobile phone data and taxi records also traced his movements on the night of the murder, leading to his re-arrest in January 2023.

He was subsequently charged with Natalie's murder and was unanimously convicted by a jury.

During sentencing, the judge described the crime as "a brutal and senseless murder planned in remorseless detail, cold-blooded and calculated".

Speaking outside the court after McCullagh's sentencing in June, Natalie's father Noel described the family's "unimaginable" pain and grief.

"Today we don't celebrate," he said, adding that he and his family now serve "a life sentence" since the murder of "beloved" Natalie.

He said at the time he hoped the 31-years given to McCullagh would deter other men from carrying out violence against women and girls across Northern Ireland.

In a pre-sentence report McCullagh, who has never admitted killing Natalie, called himself "a monster".