Ex-partner of Natalie McNally Stephen McCullagh pleads not guilty to her murder

The ex partner of mum-to-be Natalie McNally has denied murdering the 32-year-old in 2022. Stephen McCullagh of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn stood in the dock and when the charge of murder was put to him he replied 'not guilty'. Natalie was 15 weeks pregnant when she was stabbed to death in her Lurgan home sometime between December 17 and 20.

The date for the trial has provisionally been set for September.

The judge said: "This may not seen very fast at all for the friends and family of Ms McNally and for the defendant but it's now over a year since Natalie McNally's death and a trial in 2024 is as fast as we can arrange."

Due to the CCTV and technology-based aspect of the case, the trial venue is expected to be in Belfast. McCullagh, 33, did not look at the McNally family including her parents as he was lead out of the dock in handcuffs.

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