'She's cold.. there's blood everywhere'

A 999 call made by a man accused of murdering his pregnant partner was played to a jury at Belfast Crown Court yesterday.

- BY ASHLEIGH MCDONALD and JOHN CASSIDY

Natalie McNally, who was 15 weeks' pregnant, was beaten, strangled and stabbed in her Lurgan, Co Armagh, home in December 2022.

The father of her unborn child, 36-year-old Stephen McCullagh, has been charged with and has denied her murder.

He sat in the dock flanked by two prison officers yards from where Ms McNally's family sat in the public gallery.

As the prosecution opened its case to a jury of six men and six women, prosecuting barrister Charles MacCreanor KC said "this was a pre-planned, calculated, premeditated murder by the defendant".

He told the jury that the evidence they will hear during the murder trial will point to the fact Ms McNally was killed in her Silverwood Green home between 8.50pm and 9.30pm on December 18, 2022.

At 9.59pm the following evening, McCullagh made a 999 call from her home when he hysterically told the operator, "Please, come as soon as you can".

McCullagh was told to perform CPR and during the call he also said to the operator "she's pregnant" and when asked how many weeks, he said "I think it's 15, we have a scan tomorrow".

The jury also heard a sobbing McCullagh tell the operator "she's cold" and "there's blood everywhere".

In his opening, Mr MacCreanor said Ms McNally had suffered "serious and multiple stab wounds".

As well as the stab wounds to her neck, she also sustained bruising to the left and right sides of her neck which the prosecution say "suggested fingertips grasping".

In addition, counsel said there was "blunt force trauma" in the form of five lacerations which were "in keeping with having sustained at least five heavy blows to her head".