Family of Natalie McNally said murder accused was welcomed into their home

A man accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend was welcomed by her family and treated “very compassionately” after she was killed, a court heard.

Stephen McCullagh, who is accused of the murder of Natalie McNally in December 2022, attended the wake in the family home for Ms McNally on Christmas Day.

Ms McNally’s father said his family treated him with respect after he was released from police custody and they were told he was no longer a suspect.

Ms McNally, 32, was stabbed at her home in Silverwood Green, Lurgan, on the night of December 18 2022 when she was 15 weeks’ pregnant.

McCullagh, 36, from Woodland Gardens, Lisburn, denies murder.

Belfast Crown Court heard on Tuesday from Ms McNally’s father, who described spending time with his daughter before she died.

Noel McNally said his family home was the social meeting place for the family and that Ms McNally, who lived around a mile away, visited five days out of seven each week.

He said he went to her house when she first moved in and dropped over to do jobs for her, such as hang mirrors, paint rooms and leave her bags of coal.

He said his daughter was very fond of animals and had an Alsatian dog River, as well as two cats.

She also liked reading books, music and travelled with the family to go to Everton matches, and booked the train tickets to attend GAA matches.

He said she seemed “happy” and “content” with her pregnancy, and they had spent Sunday December 18, watching the Fifa World Cup final between Argentina and France.

“She sat on one end, I sat on the other, and River sat in the middle,” he told the court on Tuesday.

He said she stayed at the home for extra-time, the medals and trophies being handed out, as well as dinner, and had spoken about her second scan appointment on Tuesday.

Her father said her mother Bernadette gave her Christmas items – possibly wrapping, cards, a candle – and said every time she came to visit she left with items.

“It’s a wonder there’s anything left in our house,” he said.

Asked if the pregnancy was seen as good news by the family, he said it was: “Yes, (we were) very happy, but worried too because Natalie has had a few disappointments in her life … with her diabetes and stuff like that.

“So, I was happy for her but worried, yes.”

He said he met Mr McCullagh for the third time at the wake for his daughter in the family home on Christmas Day 2022.

He said that police had told them Mr McCullagh was “no longer a suspect so we felt it was appropriate he come to our house”.

“The defendant was upset and a lot of people were giving him hugs and consoling him whenever he came into the room,” he told the court.

He said either the family or Mr McCullagh suggested that he be alone in the room with Ms McNally’s coffin.

He said they left him alone in the waking room for 15-20 minutes.

He said the family had “respected his wishes” after Mr McCullagh had said he would not go to the funeral the next day, and he came to the family home “probably every other day” from Natalie’s funeral until he was arrested.

Defence barrister John Kearney KC suggested that Mr McCullagh had said the funeral would be too much for him and that he was too upset to attend.

“As far as we were concerned, he had nothing to do with her death and was a grieving partner and a grieving father-to-be. We always treated him with the greatest respect,” Mr McNally said.

He said Mr McCullagh had always referred to Ms McNally as “my Natalie” after her death, which Mr McNally said “annoyed me” because he had only known her three or four months.

“As far as I was concerned, she was my Natalie.”

Bernadette McNally said Mr McCullagh had spoken about an integrated school beside him and said he showed her an engagement ring.

“We were very devastated for him and worried about him. We were just devastated, as we were,” she said.

Mrs McNally and her son Declan said Mr McCullagh had also assisted the family with gathering videos and photographs of Natalie.

Declan McNally said that Mr McCullagh was welcomed in to the family home on the night of the wake.

“He was wearing a suit and a black tie, and he came across as distraught, devastated and shocked, mostly he came across as distraught,” he told the court.

He said Mr McCullagh had told him that Natalie had stayed over with him on Saturday and they had watched TV and Christmas episodes of The Office and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia before she left.

He said he went with him to Natalie’s grave and left him alone at the grave for five to 10 minutes before he approached him.

He said Mr McCullagh appeared “distraught” and said things like “how could anyone have done this to her”.

Brendan McNally said Mr McCullagh was treated “very compassionately” by the family, who “tried to console him” after the “ordeal he had been through”.