A man accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend in Northern Ireland previously beat a former partner, a court has heard. Stephen McCullagh, 36, also covertly recorded the counselling sessions of the woman months before he met and allegedly killed Natalie McNally, 32, in December 2022.
McCullagh, of Lisburn, County Antrim, denies murdering McNally, who was found dead at her home in Lurgan, County Armagh. Prosecutors allege the attack was 'planned, calculated and premeditated', involving stab wounds, strangulation, and heavy blows to the head. They claim McCullagh uploaded a prerecorded gaming session to YouTube to create a false alibi.
On the ninth day of the trial, the ex-girlfriend, who cannot be named, described a volatile relationship with McCullagh. She said he pushed her into a bathtub after discovering she had messaged another man, and later punched her in the temple when she tried to jump from his car. The defence barrister, John Kearney KC, said McCullagh had no memory of the bathroom incident and had intervened to save her life in the car.
The woman also testified that McCullagh threatened to send private photos to her family and burn her belongings, claims the defence disputed. After a stillbirth in early 2022, she received counselling at McCullagh's home, where sessions were recorded without her knowledge. Police found the recordings on his computer in 2024. The defence argued she had agreed to the taping.
The couple separated in summer 2022, and McCullagh began dating McNally via Bumble. On 18 December 2022, prosecutors allege he disguised himself, took a bus to Lurgan, killed McNally, and returned by taxi. A taxi driver, Jeffrey McAvoy, told the court he picked up a large passenger near Fa' Joe's Bar at 10.40pm, dropped him in Lisburn at 11.13pm, and was paid in cash.
The trial, before Mr Justice Kinney, continues with a jury of six men and six women and is expected to last five weeks.
