The Lisburn man accused of murdering his pregnant partner “has lied and lied again”, a jury heard today (Wednesday).
As the Crown closed its case to the jury presiding in a trial centring on the murder of Natalie McNally, the six men and women were told the 32-year old was subjected to a “horrendous beating” which was “sustained and savage”.
She was 15 weeks pregnant when she was beaten, strangled and stabbed in her Silverwood Green home in Lurgan between 8.50pm and 9.30pm on Sunday, December 18, 2022.
The father of her unborn child, 36-year old Stephen McCullagh from Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, has been accused of and has denied her murder.
The trial at Belfast Crown Court took a step closer to conclusion today when the prosecution presented its closing speech to the jury.
Crown barrister Charles MacCreanor KC told the 12 jurors that their task was to “follow the rules and focus on the evidence”.
Following this, the prosecutor spoke of a “strong and compelling case” against McCullagh which he said would prove his guilt.
Mr MacCreanor reminded the jurors that McCullagh declined to give evidence and suggested this may be because there was “no answer he could ever give that could stand up to scrutiny in the witness box”.
He then outlined the evidence they have seen and heard throughout the trial which including playing sections of McCullagh’s so-called live stream and CCTV footage in both Lisburn and Lurgan on the evening of Sunday, December 18, 2022
The jury has already heard that up until his re-arrest on January 31, 2023 and subsequent police interviews on February 1, McCullagh maintained that the stream on YouTube was live and went out between 6pm and midnight on the night Ms McNally was murdered.
Branding this as a “complete fabrication” and a “false alibi”, Mr MacCreanor said McCullagh “has lied and lied again.
“He has lied to Natalie, he has lied to his friends, he has lied to Ms McNally’s family and he lied to police at the scene.”
Mr MacCreanor said it was only when the results of a forensic examination of McCullagh’s computer by the PSNI’s cyber crime team – which determined there was no user activity on his laptop during the hours of the so-called live stream – that he was “caught out” and admitted he had pre-recorded the stream.
As sections of the YouTube recording entitled The Violent Night Christmas Live Gaming Stream were played again in court today, McCullagh sat in the dock stoking his beard and smiling as he watched himself on the screen.
Mr MacCreanor then turned to the evening of Monday, December 19, 2022 when McCullagh went to Ms McNally’s home.
He called 999 at 10pm and whilst sobbing told the operator “she’s cold” and “there’s blood everywhere”.
Mr MacCreanor branded this 999 call as “a sham, it was a put-on, it was performance.”
He also mentioned a sheet on diabetic hypos that McCullagh brought to Lurgan that night which he described as “just a prop.”
The prosecutor spoke of McCullagh visiting the McNally family home for Ms McNally’s wake on Christmas Day 2022 where he was “still peddling his lies” about the live stream.
Asking “how could you lie in those circumstances?”, Mr MacCreanor told the jury “if there was an innocent explanation, you should have heard about it.”
Also re-shown to the jury during the Crown’s closing speech was a compilation of CCTV footage taken from businesses, homes and other cameras in both Lisburn and Lurgan on the evening of the murder.
This included footage of a male the prosecution say was McCullagh getting a bus from Dunmurry to Lurgan at around 7.35pm and a male walking from Lurgan town centre to Silverwood.
This male was also captured on CCTV walking the return route from Silverwood back into the town centre then getting into a taxi which went to Lisburn.
Mr MacCreanor addressed the appearance of the male who got into the taxi who appeared to be wearing a distinctive hat and wig and spoke of “comparisons” with photos on McCullagh’s social media which depicted him with a similar look.
Suggesting McCullagh had to get a taxi back to Lisburn because he missed the last train from Lurgan, Mr MacCreanor said there was “no doubt” that the taxi dropped the male passenger off at McCullagh’s address at 11.16pm.
Mr MacCreanor said there was also no doubt that four minutes later, McCullagh’s phone – which had been inactive from 6.25pm that evening – was unlocked.
The prosecutor also asked the jury to carefully consider evidence given by various Crown witnesses during the trial.
This included the evidence of Mc McNally’s ex-boyfriend, who McCullagh has blamed for her murder.
Reminding the jury that the ex-boyfriend was “not a suspect in this case”, Mr MacCreanor said that whilst he had a “range of very unattractive features”, he answered all questions asked of him “warts and all”.
The prosecutor said this witness was “telling the truth, he is not involved in the murder” and that he had “genuine feelings” for Ms McNally.
Other evidence Mr MacCreanor said the jury should consider before reaching their verdicts was:
– McCullagh accessing Translink timetables for the Sunday service buses from Dunmurry to Lurgan and the trains from Lurgan to Lisburn between 12.35pm and 12.40pm on Sunday, December 18, 2022 whilst Ms McNally was in his house
– McCullagh having the passcode to Ms McNally’s phone
– A 40-minute recording on his phone which occurred when he visited the McNally home and left his mobile in their house
– The evidence of a former partner of McCullagh’s who said he assaulted her in his car following a row over sexual messages with another man that he found on her phone
– A video located on McCullagh’s computer of a counselling session his former partner had with a counsellor which she did not know was being recorded
Mr MacCreanor also addressed a pre-prepared statement McCullagh gave to police on February 1, 2023.
In it, he said there was no evidence linking him to his pregnant partner’s murder.
The prosecutor told the jury: “I’m hoping to convince you, ladies and gentlemen, that there is an abundance of evidence that links in, meshes and ties together.”
He also asked the jury to consider if they had “any doubt” whether McCullagh was sitting drinking in his home on the evening of Ms McNally’s murder, which he claimed he was, or whether he was “making his way to her house.”
At the conclusion of the Crown’s closing speech, Mr Justice Kinney released the jurors for the day and told them to return to court tomorrow morning for the defence’s closing speech.
At hearing.
The trial so far…
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Accused Stephen McCullagh refuses to give evidence or call witnesses
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Section of police interview with Natalie McNally murder suspect played to jury
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Natalie McNally murder trial: Texts between three males and victim read to jury
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Natalie McNally murder trial: Ex-partner’s girlfriend tells jury ‘we did not plan any sort of alibi’
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Ex-boyfriend denies killing or that he ‘recruited’ anyone to help him murder Natalie McNally
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Ex-partner recalled being told ‘she’s been murdered’ in Snapchat message
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‘You killed her’: Ex-boyfriend tells accused in court during Natalie McNally murder trial
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Ex-partner tells court she was ‘slapped and punched’ by Natalie McNally murder accused during late-night car journey
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‘He just kept howling and crying’: Best friend of murder accused tells court of call on night Natalie McNally was found dead
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Mum breaks down in court as she recalls only daughter’s murder
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Man accused of murdering Natalie McNally told police ‘aggressive’ ex-boyfriend had been harassing her
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CCTV footage concerning ‘person of interest’ shown to jurors at Natalie McNally murder trial
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Cyber expert tells trial there was ‘extensive evidence’ live stream was pre-recorded
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YouTube ‘live stream’ made by man accused of Natalie McNally murder played for jury
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Natalie McNally subjected to ‘prolong assault’ and likely her unborn child ‘died as a result’, says pathologist
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Dog bowl beside head of Natalie McNally ‘almost like it had been used to collect the blood’, murder trial hears
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Constable ‘tried to console’ accused who was ‘distraught’ at scene
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Jury hears 999 call from man accused of killing pregnant partner
