When asked if he was involved in her murder in any way, her ex-boyfriend said ‘No, not one bit’
An ex-boyfriend of Lurgan woman Natalie McNally addressed the man accused of murdering her in court today and said “you killed her.”
Ms McNally was 15 weeks pregnant when she was beaten, stabbed and strangled in her Silverwood Green home on the evening of 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.
A trial centring on the murder of the 32-year-old is now in its third week and a former boyfriend – whose name is the subject of a reporting restriction – was the latest witness called to give evidence.
He spent all day in the witness at Belfast Crown Court where he was questioned by barristers for both the Crown and defence.
Under questioning from Crown KC Charles MacCreanor, the witness confirmed he and Ms McNally met on Tinder in 2019 and that following this he moved into her house for around a year. He said that after securing a flat, he moved out “after coronavirus>Covid” but said they “kept meeting up” after he moved out on a regular basis.
When asked when his relationship with Ms McNally ended, the witness said she was his “best friend” and that the relationship “never ended, as far as friends went.”
He then confirmed that he started a new relationship with a woman who moved in with him and quickly became pregnant. The witness was then asked about a series of messages exchanged between him and Mc McNally between the summer and December of 2022.
In these exchanges, which were via email and on WhatsApp, some of the messages were of a sexually explicit nature. The witness admitted sending and receiving messages with Ms McNally right up to the evening of her death.
He also admitted the last time he and Ms McNally were together sexually was around October 2022 in her house. Mr MacCreanor then asked the witness “looking back on it now, how do you feel you treated Natalie at that time?”
He replied: “Heartbreaking. The last time I saw Natalie she was lying on her bed on her side. I could tell she was raging at me.
“I has come round and had sex then I was away and I could tell she was … that memory of the last time seeing her, I wish it was something nicer than her looking annoyed at me, annoyed at herself.”
Saying he “wasn’t proud” of this last meeting, the witness said: “I definitely took advantage of Natalie, definitely. I feel horrible about it.”
After saying “Natalie really was my best friend”, the witness then looked at McCullagh as he sat in the dock and said “and you killed her.”
At this point Mr Justice Kinney told the witness to “calm down and answer the questions you are being asked please.”
The witness then continued and said he knew Ms McNally for years and there was “a lot more” to their relationship than text messages. mHe added: “She was the nicest girl ever, she would have done anything for anybody. She helped me in so much and I feel horrible … I just wish I had been better to her. I definitely took advantage of Natalie and her good heart.”
Mr MacCreanor then asked the witness what he was doing on the evening of Sunday December 18, 2022. He recalled it being the evening of the World Cup Final and said that after he consumed Buckfast and beers, he fell asleep in his flat.
He also told the jury of six men and six women that his girlfriend had a video of him lying sleeping, and said “I never left the flat that night.”
When asked how he found out about Ms McNally’s death, the witness said he received message from one of her neighbours on Snapchat telling him she had been murdered.
The prosecutor also asked him about being arrested on suspicion of murder of Ms McNally’s murder. The witness confirmed he was interviewed by police on December 22, 2022 and asked what his aim was regarding Ms McNally, he said it was “to tell them as much as possible.”
He said that following his arrest “I knew I hadn’t done it” and he wasn’t worried as “the truth will always come out.”
Mr MacCreanor then asked the witness if he was aware that McCullagh had “pointed the police” towards him as the person who may have harmed Ms McNally and he replied “yeah, it’s ridiculous.”
And when asked if he was involved in her murder in any way, her ex-boyfriend said: “No, not one bit.”
He then added: “He [McCullagh] was. He done it. A blind person could see that.”
The witness was also cross-examined by defence barrister John Kearney KC. The barrister asked him about the year he lived with Ms McNally in Silverwood Green and he confirmed that she usually left her front door unlocked and that on occasion the back door was left “wide open.”
He was then questioned about Ms McNally’s dog River and when asked if the dog would have been familiar with him, the witness said “I know where you are going with this. Yes, she would have been.”
Asked by Mr Kearney what he meant by that, the witness said: “You are going to try and crack that because it was my dog that the dog didn’t attack me whenever I went round.
“It wasn’t me in Natalie’s house that night, it was him (McCullagh).”
At this point the defence barrister asked the witness if he had “trouble with anger control?” and he said: “I have been extremely stressed for the last three years, accused of murder, something I didn’t do.”
He then added that “at times” he did have potential anger issues. Mr Kearney then asked him about other ex-partners and in particular the woman he was with when Ms McNally died.
Mr Kearney also asked if he had ever grabbed her, throttled her, struck her or laid a finger on her and he replied “no” to each question.
He was also asked about WhatsApp messages he sent to her last weekend and whether or not he threatened her. The witness said there was “a load of slabbering going on from both parties” and that he was arrested the following day.
He said he “made it clear” he didn’t want to be with her any more and that he had blocked then unblocked her. Asked if he messaged her and told her he was tempted to go to her house to kick her head in because he hated her so much, he replied “potentially, yeah.”
He added: “There was toxic slabbering going on. That’s why I had her blocked, to stop all this. I’ve got wee angry thumbs that send wee stupid messages. These stupid thumbs say stupid things.”
Mr Kearney said “well those wee angry thumbs are connected to wee angry wrists and ultimately to an angry brain, isn’t that right?”
Asked again if he had a problem with anger management, the witness said he could get “extremely wound up and say stupid things” but he denied threatening to kill her or physically assaulting his ex-partner.
The witness is due to return to court to resume his evidence on Tuesday morning.
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