Ex-partner of Natalie McNally tells court he did not kill her
By Jonathan McCambridge, Press Association
An ex-partner of Natalie McNally has told a court that he did not kill the Co Armagh woman.
The man, who cannot be named, also told Belfast Crown Court that he did not recruit someone else to kill McNally, and denied that he had injured his hands on the night she was murdered.
McNally, 32, was 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed at her home in Lurgan on December 18th 2022.
Her partner, Stephen McCullagh, 36, of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, is on trial for her murder.
He has denied the charge.
The ex-boyfriend had previously given evidence that he had told some “white lies'” about the amount of contact he had with McNally when giving a police statement in the days after her death.
Defence barrister John Kearney returned to questioning him about the police interviews on Wednesday.
Kearney showed the witness photographs of injuries to his hands during the police interviews.
The witness said he had sustained the injuries after punching walls.
The barrister asked him if he was sure he had not sustained the injuries on the evening that McNally was murdered.
He responded: “No, I definitely didn’t get them on that night.”
Kearney said: “Was it you that killed Natalie?”
“No,” he said.
Kearney asked: “Were you present at Silverwood (Green) on the 18th?”
“No,” again the witness replied
“Did you recruit anyone else to help you on the 18th?” the barrister asked.
The witness again responded: “No.”
The barrister continued: “You understand the defendant’s case is that he didn’t do this, and he wasn’t there?”
The witness said: “He done it.”
He then yelled towards McCullagh in the court dock: “You done it.”
Kearney said: “You understand that it was and remains his case that he believes it was you?”
“I understand that,” he answered.
“Is that why you lied to police initially?” Mr Kearney asked.
The witness said: “I told police the truth, where I was, hour by hour for four days.
“The only thing I lied about was when I had last seen Natalie, which I corrected when I was arrested – and about how much contact.
“I told the truth as well as I could remember.”
He then turned again towards McCullagh and shouted: “You killed her.”
The trial continues.
