Stephen McCullagh living in terror as ‘most hated man in prison’ after killing pregnant girlfriend

Remembered as “arrogant” by those unlucky enough to encounter him, murderer Stephen McCullagh’s warped sense of self-importance knew no bounds.

Now it’s said that McCullagh, who ruthlessly murdered his pregnant girlfriend, Natalie McNally, one week before Christmas 2022, is living in fear behind the notorious walls of Maghaberry Prison, where he’s become a walking target. Indeed, it’s understood that the “pompous” killer, who sickeningly set up a fake YouTube livestream as a vile alibi, was kept in the jail’s hospital wing for his own safety ahead of sentencing, for fear that fellow lags would pounce.

McCullagh has this week been sentenced to life in prison. He will serve a minimum term of 31 years before he is eligible for parole – the murderer showed no reaction as the sentence was handed down, and there was silence in the public gallery where Natalie’s family watched.

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Mr Justice Kinney called Stephen “abhorent” and said it was “difficult to find words” for the brutality of the murder. “The defendant did not just kill Natalie McNally, her unborn child also died as a result of the murderous assault,” the judge said.

“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.”

Ordering Stephen McCullagh to stand before he set the 31-year prison term, judge Mr Justice Kinney said the sentence passed “cannot possibly reflect the value of Natalie’s life, or indeed that of her unborn child, Dean” or meet the family’s sense of “grief and loss”.

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“Stephen McCullagh, you have committed a brutal and senseless murder,” he said. “You planned this murder in remorseless detail. You attacked someone you profess to love in a frenzied assault, which was characterised by its excessive and gratuitous violence.

“Despite that frenzy, the killing was cold-blooded and calculated, as evidenced by the extensive planning leading up to the murder and your actions afterwards. Your behaviour towards the McNally family showed your absolute determination to cover your tracks.”

The 36-year-old, who rarely interacts with his fellow inmates, brutally stabbed and throttled Natalie, who’d been 15 weeks into her pregnancy with his child before leaving her bloodied and face down in a dog bowl. He then had the audacity to attend her tragic Christmas Day wake, eliciting sympathy from her caring family members, while attempting to pin the blame on an “abusive ex-boyfriend”.

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In reality, it was an act of vicious revenge. The court heard how Ms McNally had expressed doubts about the relationship to several friends and was still in touch with an ex-boyfriend. Their messages, it was suggested, were the ‘catalyst’ for McCullagh’s violent murder plot.

While McCullagh had thought himself clever enough to outwit the police, officers soon unravelled his lies. But even as he stood in the dock, the self-proclaimed ‘nerd’ couldn’t help but smile at his own jokes as the court saw pre-recorded footage he’d used as a fraudulent livestream on the night of Natalie’s murder, grotesquely entitled Violent Night.

Now facing a substantial sentence behind bars, the question remains as to how such a self-satisfied and seemingly remorseless individual will cope with the hierarchy of prison life, particularly now that it appears he’s been marked out as a potential target.

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Multiple sources at the high-security Maghaberry Prison say the beast has a “target on his back”, with his fellow inmates said to be repulsed that he killed Natalie while she was pregnant, making him a child killer. A source told Sunday Life: “That’s one thing the prisoners don’t like – harming innocent children. Some of the worst attacks there have been in here (Maghaberry) have been on child killers and child abusers.

“And you have to understand, the human side means staff aren’t going to put their own safety at risk to intervene for the likes of them. Because McCullagh murdered a pregnant woman, he falls into that category.”

While it’s understood McCullagh behaves behind bars, he is said to be a “security nightmare”, topping the “hitlist” of dangerous criminals the killer content creator now calls neighbours. Another source revealed: “He is being held on the Moyola hospital wing for his own protection. It’s separated from all other residential units and holds around 19 older, disabled, and high-profile inmates.

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“The other prisoners joke that it’s for the ‘squealers and feelers’, which is a reference to touts and paedophiles, and they aren’t far wrong. In reality, it’s segregation without any punishment.”

Rachel Fletcher, Managing Partner & Head of Crime and Regulatory at Slater Heelis, told the Mirror that over-capacity issues mean prison hospitals are often used as a ‘precautionary approach’ to protect criminals vulnerable to attack.

Ms Fletcher explained: “That’s where you see decisions like placing someone on a healthcare or hospital wing, less about them being unwell, and more about keeping them safe and under closer supervision. That said, hospital wings aren’t really what they’re designed for in that sense. Ideally, you wouldn’t be using them like this, but the reality is staffing pressures and capacity issues in prisons mean they’ve become a bit of a practical workaround when there aren’t better options available.”

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However, prison hospitals are wildly different to regular hospitals, where patients are free to eat in the cafeteria or receive visitors at their bedside. “It’s not a hospital in the way people usually imagine, it’s essentially a prison wing with healthcare built into it,” she added. “You still have cells, locked doors and officers, just with closer supervision and access to medical support and staff alongside the usual prison regime.”

In reports about McCullagh, one thing that stands out is his brazenness, both in the nature of his crime and the shocking manner in which he continued to insert himself in Natalie’s family’s life after her death. Those who knew him have had plenty to say about the conceited way in which he conducted himself.

As reported by The Irish Times, the filmmaking graduate briefly worked as a presenter for a local community radio station, but left his co-workers displeased after using the studio to focus on ‘geek culture’ aimed at a US audience rather than community news. A source told the publication that McCullagh was ‘full of himself’.

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McCullagh also wasn’t popular during his time at the Belfast Telegraph, where one colleague remembered being irked by the ‘arrogant’ and ‘pompous’ killer’s swagger – a personality trait that could leave him vulnerable to attack

On this note, Ms Fletcher remarked: “Settling into prison life is usually rocky at the start. It’s a completely different environment, and people tend to learn fairly quickly that the safest approach is just to keep their heads down and not draw attention.

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“If someone has relied on being ‘clever’ or controlling the narrative on the outside, that approach doesn’t tend to carry much weight inside; if anything, it’s picked up on pretty quickly and can backfire. Over time, though, most people adjust and become a lot more guarded and pragmatic in how they conduct themselves.”

For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk. If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk.

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com