UK YouTuber jailed for murdering pregnant girlfriend

The jury heard how he used a pre-recorded live-stream as a cover

Stephen McCullagh has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Natalie McNally.

The 36-year-old from Lisburn, who was found guilty by jury in March 2026 of murdering his girlfriend, was sentenced today (Wednesday 3 March) in Belfast.

The incident took place in December 2022.

McCullagh denied the charge, saying that he was live-streaming himself playing video games on his YouTube channel at the time of the murder.

Stephen McCullagh. Image: Police Service of Northern Ireland.

However, a police investigation had found the stream had in fact been filmed four days before it was claimed to be broadcasted live on 18 December.

McCullagh was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 31 years in prison.

Trial judge Justice Kinney said that the pre-recorded YouTube live stream was an "integral" part of McCullagh's plan to murder his girlfriend with it being “carefully curated" to "provide the defendant a carefully-planned complete alibi to the murder”.

As he passed sentence, Justice Kinney said McCullagh’s culpability had been assessed as “extremely high”, describing the murder as a “brutal and frenzied attack”.

He highlighted how McCullagh had spent time with the McNally family in the aftermath of the murder.

Natalie McNally. Image: Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Justice Kinney explained how McCullagh presented himself as "devastated, distraught and shocked".

“When he first arrived at the house on Christmas Day, during Natalie’s wake, the family brought him in and comforted him,” he said.

“They allowed him to spend extensive time alone with Natalie, ostensibly to grieve for her.”

As he set the tariff, the judge highlighted the "abhorrence" of the murder of Natalie McNally which "did not just kill Natalie McNally, her unborn child also died as a result of the murderous assault.”

“The defendant was fully aware that Natalie was pregnant. He intended to kill her and he knew that her baby, at such an early stage of the pregnancy, would have no chance of surviving the attack," he added.

McCullagh nodded when the sentence was handed down.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil McGuinness, the Senior Investigating Officer, said: “Natalie McNally was 32 years old when she was murdered in her own home.

“This young woman – a much-loved daughter and sister – was 15 weeks pregnant, and excited to be planning the rest of her life as a mother.”

He added: “Stephen McCullagh was arrested at the scene and initially released.  After a painstaking and largescale investigation, which included hundreds of house-to-house enquiries and an examination of thousands of hours of CCTV footage, he was re-arrested and charged.

“This was an attack that sent shockwaves right across the community.  Not only was it distressingly brutal in nature, it was meticulously and coldly premeditated.

“McCullagh had devised an alibi, seemingly livestreaming for six hours on a social media platform at the time of Natalie’s murder.  In reality, he had walked some distance from his home and taken a bus to Lurgan – all the while concealing his appearance – in order to carry out his attack.

“Thanks to the efforts and expertise of our Cyber Crime officers, irrefutable evidence was obtained to show that this footage had in fact been pre-recorded several days earlier. 

“Today, thanks to the collective efforts of our Major Investigation Team and policing teams across the Police Service, and working in partnership with the Public Prosecution Service, the defendant has been held to account.

“At the same time, a loving family are left with unimaginable heartache.  They have lost their beloved Natalie and the baby boy they so dearly wanted to welcome into their family.

“Somehow, amidst their sorrow, they have managed to show the most incredible dignity and strength, right throughout our investigation.  Their kindness is in stark contrast to the cruelty, and calculated web of deceit spun by McCullagh.”