Natalie McNally's ex-boyfriend says phone reset had nothing to do with her

An ex-boyfriend of Natalie McNally has said he reset his phone days after her murder as he had messages about drugs on the device.

The man who cannot be named due to a reporting restriction has been giving evidence at the trial of Stephen McCullough.

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

The ex-boyfriend told Belfast Crown Court a reset of his phone "had nothing to do with deleting messages between" between himself and the 32-year-old woman.

He was repeatedly warned by the judge about the danger of incriminating himself but said he was going to tell the truth, adding, "I'm here for Natalie".

"If I sink myself and get myself in more trouble I don't care this is about Natalie," he said.

The defence barrister for McCullagh questioned him about the factory reset of his phone following the death of his former girlfriend.

While at work, he said he had been told there were police officers at his home.

"There were two detectives sitting in my flat, there was a big bag of weed sitting in a cupboard and I thought they would have been able to smell it," he said.

"My best friend had just been murdered, there were two detectives in my house," he added.

"I was worried they were going to want my phone. There would have been messages to do with drugs and weed in particular."

He explained he pulled over before he got home and reset the phone.

He was also asked if he told a neighbour of Natalie's that there had been "some nasty messaging" between Natalie and himself.

"Yeah, I was probably telling her everything, the truth, I had been sending nasty messages, dirty messages whatever."

The trial continues.