The case against a man accused of murdering Natalie McNally is “strong and compelling”, a jury at Belfast Crown Court has heard.
Ms McNally, who was 32, was 15 weeks’ pregnant when she was killed at her home in Lurgan on 18 December, 2022.
Her partner, Stephen McCullagh, aged 36, of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, is on trial at Belfast Crown Court accused of murdering her. He has denied the charge.
Stephen McCullagh has denied murdering Natalie McNally
Delivering his closing statement in the case, prosecuting barrister Charles MacCreanor KC told the jury that Mr McCullagh had chosen not to give evidence in the case.
He said the defendant had chosen to rely on what he had said in police interviews and in a pre-prepared statement. The barrister said the things he had claimed could not be tested in the trial.
He said: “Our submission to you is that this is a strong prosecution case, a compelling prosecution case that he is guilty.”
Mr MacCreanor told the jury that if Mr McCullagh had an innocent explanation, they would have heard it.
He said: “You may feel is that one of the reasons you haven’t heard from him, there’s no answer that he could ever give that could stand up to scrutiny.”
The man accused of murdering Natalie McNally “lied and lied again”, he told Belfast Crown Court.
Mr MacCreanor KC referred to a “false” livestream broadcast by Stephen McCullagh of him playing Grand Theft Auto on the night Ms McNally was murdered.
He said: “That was the defendant’s false alibi, of that there can be no doubt. His claim that between 6pm and midnight he was going live was a complete fabrication. He repeatedly and to different people lied that he was doing a live show.”
The barrister said the evidence in the trial showed that Mr McCullagh had prepared the six-hour gaming broadcast in advance.
He said: “That period, 6pm to midnight, is the period when Natalie McNally was murdered.”
He said the jury had to decide if that was a coincidence.
The barrister added: “He set up his false alibi. He could not be the murderer, that is what that recording is about.”
Mr MacCreanor said Mr McCullagh had been “caught out” by a police cybercrime report.
He said: “All those lies he told were then exposed. Why would you need a false alibi? Because he murdered Natalie McNally.”
He said: “Our case is he has lied and lied again. He has lied to Natalie, he has lied to his friends, he has lied to the McNally family, he has lied to police at the scene.”
The trial continues.