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Chapter 1: What happened in the case of Natalie McNally's murder?
Hey there, we are Indosport with me, John Molloy. We cover sport and we have things like this.
If you ask Arsenal's defenders, Gabriel and Saliba, to play in that PSG team or that Bayern team, they would be exposed as much as those centre-backs were last night. Because effectively, the attackers were on top. Then you ask the question, how many defenders were actually on the pitch last night? Because none of the full-backs have no interest in defending. They're like wingers.
And I've seen Saliba and Gabriel in an open game in that League Cup semi-final doubleheader against Newcastle last season get torn apart by Izak.
Chapter 2: How did the judge describe Stephen McCullagh's actions?
I won't have anyone convince me that they can defend in that space. I don't want to write a book about it.
Chapter 3: What was McCullagh's defense strategy during the trial?
I want to write a book about it. But there's no way for the other scholars to write about it for the rest of the world.
I think it's a good idea. You're listening to the Indo Daily. This episode is brought to you by our sister podcast, The Bell Tell. And just a heads up for listeners, the following episode contains graphic descriptions of violence and murder and may not be suitable for all listeners. Stephen McCullough will do at least 31 years of jail time before he's even considered for release.
The judge told McCullough that he'd committed a brutal, senseless murder and planned it in remorseless detail. The killing was cold-blooded and calculated. McCullough tried to pin the murder of Natalie McNally on Lewis Jones, Natalie's ex-partner, after setting up a false alibi. But the jury had none of it.
It found McCullough guilty of the murder of Natalie McNally at Belfast Crown Court earlier this year. 32-year-old Natalie McNally had been 15 weeks pregnant when she was subjected to a violent attack and murdered at her home in Lurgan in December 2022. Curtis Reid was in court for the sentencing. Curtis, you're welcome to the Belltel. Thanks very much, Ciarán.
What was the reaction in court today when McCulloch was sentenced?
To set the scene, we were sat in the press boxes, so the little rows just beside the actual judge and They opened the door to the public gallery and I would say about 30 to 40 people all came in. They all slotted through the door and they all sat down.
And throughout the actual sentencing, so to explain a sentencing typically lasts around about 45 minutes an hour, a judge is reading a pre-prepared statement, which we refer to as the sentencing remarks. And there was a mix of emotions when they were reading the details about how Natalie died and the brutal and sustained attack that Stephen McCullough committed on her.
There was quite a few people crying visibly in the gallery. When the judge decided that he was going to be serving 31 years in prison before he's considered for release by the parole board, There was almost a silence. There was an eeriness. And I think it was complimented by the fact that Stephen McCullough showed no reaction.
You could feel the air, though, sort of lift in the room when it was this sort of, well, this is over. And I'm sure we'll touch upon it, which is that it's not really over for the McNally family. But in terms of the reaction in court, there was an eerie silence, but you could tell that they were thankful.
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Chapter 4: What was the courtroom reaction during McCullagh's sentencing?
serious crime unit said the devious killer underestimated the team who brought him to justice for killing Natalie. She spoke to our crime correspondent Alison Morris. We can listen to a little bit of that interview now.
When we focus on the sort of unusual aspects of the case, we lose sight of the brutality of this murder. Like it took the pathologist 40 minutes to relay every injury that Natalie sustained. She's just absolutely horrific. And when you think that she was 15 weeks pregnant and she was slight in stature compared to McCullough, That brutality, it's so shocking.
There are very unusual aspects to this case. The framing of another person, the meticulous planning, the creation of a six-hour video. But at the heart of it, it was a domestic murder, which sadly we're all too familiar with in Northern Ireland. I would like to thank the jury as well because sometimes they can be forgotten in all of this process.
What the jury had to listen to was very harrowing over that period of time and I'm sure the pressure was enormous but you know we're very grateful they did a very good job and they looked at everything very carefully and came to the decision that McCulloch was guilty.
I always had confidence that the case was very strong and that if you pulled together all the strands of evidence, then it did show that he was guilty. But obviously there's never any guarantees, so you're always pretty anxious waiting for a jury's verdict. One thing about McCullough is that because he's never shown any remorse, he's never actually explained why he did this.
I mean, it's a completely senseless killing and Natalie should be here today. There's absolutely no reason why she should have been murdered. It's outrageous and he needs to explain why he did it.
And if anyone's interested, you can read that full interview with Alison Morris on our website. Now, Curtis, in the last few days, we've been provided and all outlets have now published the 999 call. And we're going to play it now. But I'd just like to remind any listener that this is very, very disturbing. And I would caution people. about listening to it.
However, the reason why we're playing it is because I feel that it is very revealing of McCulloch. And I do think also that it goes some way to explain the 31 year minimum tariff.
Is the patient breathing? Is the patient breathing? No! She's cold! Okay, listen, what's the address of the emergency, please? Listen, you think he's pregnant? Yes! And you say she's cold? Okay, okay. Listen to me. I'm going to help you, okay? You stay on the line with me, all right? Okay, listen. If there is a defibrillator available, send someone else to get it now in case we need it here.
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