Murder accused said Natalie McNally's ex was harassing her, court hears

The man accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend told police in an interview that her ex-boyfriend was "harassing" her in the days leading up to her death.

Stephen McCullagh, 36, from Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, County Antrim, has denied murdering Natalie McNally who was killed in her Silverwood Green home in Lurgan on 18 December 2022.

In a police interview on Monday 20 December 2022, McCullagh mostly answered "no comment" but when asked if Natalie had ever "experienced problems with any other people?"

He replied: "Just her ex".

He told police that her ex partner was "calling her in the middle of the night from private numbers".

He said "he emailed her a bunch of abuse" and that Natalie had "him blocked on everything" but he "created a new email and messaged her".

McCullagh described the ex-boyfriend as "aggressive and abusive" saying that "she was always upset to hear from him".

He told police that the ex-boyfriend had last contacted Natalie on Thursday 15 December and into the next morning.

McCullagh told police that the ex-boyfriend "repeatedly, about two or three times" called Natalie that evening.

He said she answered the first call, then put her phone on silent.

The court heard McCullagh created a timeline on a word document after being interviewed by police.

Det Con Matthews from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) cyber unit told the court the document named "Natalie timeline" had been created on 20 December, after McCullagh's police interview.

In the document, McCullagh noted the moment he found Natalie's body.

He said: "Blood everywhere. Cold to touch. No pulse. Face down in a dog bowl. Blue lips".

McCullagh then notes calling 999 and preforming CPR on Natalie before the emergency services arrived.

He was asked by police had he "anything whatsoever to do with the death of Natalie?".

He replied: "No."