Allegations of Abuse in Court
A Belfast court has been presented with allegations that Stephen McCullagh, accused of murdering his pregnant partner Natalie McNally, had previously physically abused an ex-partner. The abuse reportedly occurred after McCullagh discovered photographs she had sent to another man during a period of separation.
The court also heard that McCullagh had recorded a private counselling session attended by the woman following the loss of her pregnancy.
This testimony was part of the ninth day of evidence in the trial concerning the December 2018 murder of Natalie McNally at her home in Lurgan.
'He pushed me abruptly'
A former girlfriend of Stephen McCullagh gave evidence, stating she met him at the end of 2015. They maintained a friendship and an intermittent romantic relationship over seven years. She confirmed she had become pregnant with McCullagh's child but suffered a miscarriage in January 2022.
The witness recounted that on 30 December 2019, she was at McCullagh's residence attempting to reconcile after a break in their relationship.
"We'd been talking about if we'd been talking to anyone else. I said no but it was a lie."
She admitted to messaging and sending images to another man. McCullagh discovered this after she asked him to check her phone, which was running slowly.
"He started getting upset and crying and getting angry. I tried to calm him down but it wasn't working."
The woman described that McCullagh went outside for a cigarette, and when she tried to bring him back inside,
"He pushed me abruptly, yanked the phone off me and pushed me into the bathtub."
Defence Barrister John Kearney KC suggested McCullagh had no memory of a physical altercation in the bathroom, asserting it did not occur.
"It did happen."
'He punched me in the temple'
Later that night, while McCullagh was driving the woman home, she detailed a suicide attempt.
"He stopped abruptly," she said.
"He punched me in the temple. He said I could kill myself on my own time."
The defence contested this account, stating McCullagh denied making such a statement and claimed he intervened to prevent self-harm.
The witness also stated McCullagh threatened to send the photographs from her phone to her family, friends, and colleagues.
The defence argued that McCullagh had taken a photo of some messages on his own phone and showed it to her, anticipating discussion on the matter later. He denies threatening to distribute them further.
She further claimed McCullagh said he would burn sentimental items of hers kept at his house.
The defence countered this, stating McCullagh returned her belongings and had said,
"A lesser man would burn your stuff."
'I didn't want him going to prison'
The woman testified that she initially reported the incident to police on 31 December but withdrew her complaint in a second statement on 2 January 2020.
"I thought him hitting me was trying to knock some sense in to me, because that's what he said. I didn't want him going to prison."
She said the couple remained separated until 2021, when they resumed communication. In January 2022, she discovered she was pregnant.
"I found out I was pregnant on 7 January. I got contractions and went to the doctor."
Tragically, the baby was stillborn.
"When I moved back in with Stephen I sought answers to understand what had happened."
The woman described attending counselling sessions both at home and at a medical facility in Lisburn.
"A counsellor was coming to Stephen's house when I was living there. I was very tearful day to day."
These home counselling sessions took place in the living room of McCullagh's residence.
In 2023, police informed the woman that recordings of her counselling sessions had been found on McCullagh's computer. She stated she was unaware of this.
"I was always told it was confidential between the counsellor and the person they are talking to,"
said the woman.
The defence stated McCullagh had offered to record the sessions to help her benefit from them, with her agreement, and that only one recording was made.
"He never discussed with me, recording my sessions."
The couple separated again in early summer 2022.
