Overview
- A jury found Stephen McCullagh guilty earlier this year of murdering his partner Natalie McNally, who was 32 and 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed in December 2022.
- A judge at Belfast Crown Court sentenced McCullagh to life with a minimum term of 31 years earlier this month and described the attack as a "brutal and frenzied" assault with extremely high culpability.
- Police forensic analysis presented at trial showed the six‑hour YouTube gaming stream McCullagh claimed was live had been filmed four days earlier and was used by prosecutors as an integral part of his planned alibi.
- An appeal against the sentence has now been lodged and the Public Prosecution Service has been notified, but the life term and 31‑year tariff remain in force while the appeal proceeds.
- Media reports say McCullagh has been targeted by other inmates and was moved to the Moyola hospital wing for protection, but those custody reports come from unnamed sources and have not been officially confirmed, and the appeal has left the victim’s family retraumatised.