Skip to content

YouTube removes account of man who murdered Natalie McNally

Cormac CampbellSouth east reporter, BBC News NI
News imageSocial media A man with brown hair, a beard and moustache looking at the camera. He is wearing a brown t-shirt. Behind him there are three wooden chairs and a cabinet. Social media
Stephen McCullagh tried to use a pre-recorded YouTube stream as his alibi in the murder investigation

The YouTube account of Stephen McCullagh, the content creator convicted of the murder of Natalie McNally, has been removed by the platform.

Ms McNally was 15 weeks pregnant when she was murdered by McCullagh, her partner, in her Lurgan home in December 2022.

He had pre-produced and outputted a six hour gaming stream on his YouTube account that he had presented as being live on the night of Natalie's death.

He used this as cover to travel to her home and brutally kill her.

He then presented it as an alibi to police and her family whilst continuing to blame a former boyfriend of Natalie's for her death.

Although it is understood that the gaming stream, entitled Violent Night, had already been demonetised, it remained on his YouTube account throughout the court process.

Some of those involved in his prosecution had raised concerns that dozens of other sci-fi and gaming videos produced by McCullagh on the account still had the potential to make him money.

But following his conviction a YouTube spokesperson confirmed to BBC Newsbeat that: "We terminated the channels owned by this individual for violating our creator responsibility policies."

McCullagh was told in court that he faces a life sentence.

In May he will learn the minimum term he will serve.

'Profiting from infamy concerning'

News imagePA Media Naomi Long speaking into a microphone. She has long red hair and is wearing red lipstick and a blue cardigan over a blue and white patterned top.PA Media
Justice Minister Naomi Long described social media as "like the wild west"

Justice Minister Naomi Long said that "anyone profiting from being infamous is always a major concern" and that she does not believe that anyone "should profit from criminal activity of any kind".

Speaking on Good Morning Ulster, she described how "in many cases" social media companies are "like the wild west and trying to corral it and control it can be incredibly difficult".

However, she said that it is Westminster who are responsible for the control and regulation of online spaces.

"I don't think anyone would want to think that a person who committed such a heinous crime would be benefitting in any shape or form from the fame that they might have drawn from that," she continued.