‘Natalie was my best friend, you killed her’ – Ex-partner’s outburst in court
By Rebecca Black, Press Association
A former partner of Natalie McNally has described how she was his best friend and accused Stephen McCullagh of murdering her.
He looked towards the dock, in front of McNally’s family and friends in the public gallery, and said: “She was my best friend and you killed her”.
It came during the third week of the trial of Stephen McCullagh for the murder of McNally, who had been 15 weeks pregnant with his child.
McCullagh, 36, of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge against him at Belfast Crown Court.
The trial previously heard McCullagh had claimed that McNally’s ex had been responsible for her murder.
A jury of six men and six women has been sworn in to serve during the trial, which is expected to last around five weeks, before Justice Patrick Kinney.
The former partner of McNally, who cannot be named because of a court order, had been in a relationship with McNally from 2019.
Despite the pair both becoming involved with new partners, they had continued to message on and off, and also had met up to have sex, including in October 2022.
The court heard the content of exchanges between them via email and WhatsApp messages which included arguments about their relationship, McNally’s dog and cat, family issues her ex had been having and McCullagh.
Exchanges of sexual messages, including multiple requests to meet up for sex by him were also read.
The court also heard that McCullagh had the password to open McNally’s phone.
Appearing in court, the man said he initially met McNally on the dating app Tinder in 2019, and moved into her house.
While he moved out in 2020 after being offered a Housing Executive flat, the man said they continued to meet up.
“Natalie was my best friend, and the relationship never ended to be honest as far as friends went,” he said, but said he got together with his next partner in 2022.
“I was trying to be good, but I kept in touch with Natalie.”
He said the last time he met up with McNally for a physical encounter was at her home in Lurgan in October 2022, and said his last memory of her was feeling that she was annoyed both at him and herself.
“The last time I saw Natalie, she was lying on her bed on her side, I could tell she was raging at me, we’d had sex, and then I was away…
“That memory of the last time seeing her, I really wish it was something nicer than her looking annoyed at me, annoyed at herself even I think,” he said.
“I’m not proud of it, I’m not proud of any of these text messages.
“I definitely took advantage of Natalie, I feel horrible about it.”
He went on: “Natalie really was my best friend”, and looking towards the dock, “and you killed her”.
Asked for his thoughts about how he treated McNally, the man said the messages “don’t paint a very good picture of me”.
“There was a lot more to me and Natalie’s relationship than these text messages, I knew her for four years, she was my best friend,” he said.
“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 because I definitely took advantage of Natalie and her good heart.”
The man said he was initially approached by police to give a statement following McNally’s murder, and was later arrested.
“I wanted to help as much as possible, I knew I hadn’t done it so I had nothing to worry about… when it was explained I was under arrest, my jaw dropped, ‘are you serious, I’ll go with you and help, but the truth will always come out’,” he said.
He said on the night when police believe McNally was murdered he was watching the World Cup final with his then partner at their home.
The trial continues.
