Court Hears Livestream Alibi Was Pre-Recorded

Belfast Crown Court heard evidence on Thursday that a livestream purportedly showing Stephen McCullagh at home on the night his pregnant girlfriend was murdered was actually recorded four days earlier, bolstering the prosecution's case that he fabricated an alibi to cover the killing. McCullagh, 36, from Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, faces charges of murdering Natalie McNally, 32, at her home in Lurgan, County Armagh, on December 18, 2022. Ms. McNally was 15 weeks pregnant with their unborn son at the time.

The trial, now in its fourth day before Mr. Justice Patrick Kinney and a jury of six men and six women, is expected to last about five weeks. Prosecutors, led by Charles MacCreanor KC, described the killing as planned, calculated and premeditated. They allege McCullagh prerecorded a six-hour video of himself playing video games, including Grand Theft Auto, while drinking Guinness and Baileys, and broadcast it as a live stream on his YouTube channel, Votesaxon07, starting at 6 p.m. on December 18. The stream, advertised on social media as "The Violent Night Christmas Live Gaming Stream," featured McCullagh wearing a Santa hat and joking about not leaving the house that night.