Stephen McCullagh Appeals 31-Year Sentence for Murder of Pregnant Natalie McNally in Lurgan

Stephen McCullagh, 36, has lodged an appeal against the life sentence he received for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend Natalie McNally, who was 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed at her home in Lurgan in December 2022.

The Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland said it has been notified that an appeal against the sentence has been lodged, and BBC reported the 31-year term was the minimum before he can be considered for release by parole commissioners.

BBC

At Belfast Crown Court, Mr Justice Kinney set the minimum 31-year prison term and said: "The defendant did not just kill Natalie McNally, her unborn child also died as a result of the murderous assault."

The sentencing remarks also described the staged livestream of McCullagh playing computer games as an "integral" part of his murder plan, after detectives found the gaming stream had been pre-recorded rather than live.

McCullagh’s appeal comes as his family said the move is retraumatising, with Declan McNally telling the BBC Good Morning Ulster programme that it is "just completely re-traumatising for the whole family."

Declan McNally said he was not surprised McCullagh would try to appeal, telling the BBC: "I don't know if he views it as some sort of free hit - why not just have an appeal if he's nothing to lose."

Declan added that the appeal is not a “free hit” for the family, saying: "But it's not a free hit for our family, we're back into the court process worrying."

BBC

The BBC also reported that Natalie, 32, had been watching the World Cup final with her family on the day she was murdered on 18 December 2022, and that the family were watching the World Cup again when they were informed of the appeal.

The Sun reported Declan said McCullagh should “never be released” and described the news as “retraumatising” for his family, adding that McCullagh had never shown any remorse, regret or responsibility for Natalie’s murder.

In the same coverage, The Sun said McCullagh staged a fake YouTube gaming livestream to provide a “carefully planned complete alibi to the murder,” but police experts discovered the six-hour stream had actually been filmed four days before.

Alongside the appeal, NDTV Sports reported that McCullagh is facing serious safety concerns inside Maghaberry Prison, where he is reportedly considered one of the prison's most hated inmates.

NDTV Sports also said the 31-year minimum term was set by Belfast Crown Court on June 3, and that the Public Prosecution Service has already been informed that the appeal has been lodged.

The Independent described how police experts discovered the six-hour stream had actually been filmed four days before and broadcast as live on 18 December 2022, the night Natalie McNally was killed.

At sentencing, Mr Justice Kinney said the staged livestream was "carefully curated to appear as if it was streaming live and to provide the defendant a carefully planned complete alibi to the murder," and the judge assessed McCullagh’s culpability as "extremely high."

The Independent reported that the judge said the sentence passed "cannot possibly reflect the value of Natalie’s life, or indeed that of her unborn child, Dean" and that the minimum term is the threshold before parole commissioners can consider release.