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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
David Young & Damien Edgar & Cathal Ryan

New CCTV footage from night of Natalie McNally killing led police to re-arrest Stephen McCullagh

New CCTV footage taken from a Translink bus on the night that Natalie McNally was killed resulted in police rearresting a suspect in the case, a court has heard.

32-year-old Stephen McCullagh from Woodland Garden in Lisburn has been charged with the murder of Natalie at her home in Silverwood Green on Sunday 18 December.

Lead investigator for the case, Detective Chief Inspector Neil McGuinness, said that he believed there was "sufficient evidence" that linked McCullagh to the charge.

READ MORE - Protestors outside politicians' homes and refugee centres could face jail time under new legislation

The court heard how new evidence allegedly cast doubt on an alibi that caused McCullagh to be removed as a suspect on December 24 from the case.

McCullagh had allegedly told police he was streaming on YouTube on the night of the killing between 6pm and just after midnight.

However, police analysis of the computer that he was using, which was seized following his arrest, allegedly shows that this stream was a pre-recorded video made on December 13 or 14 made to look as if it was live.

DCI McGuinness said that at the beginning of the stream, McCullagh was heard saying that he was unable to interact with the people watching the stream as he was having trouble with his set up.

At several points in the recording, McCullagh makes reference to what time it is, something police said was deliberately to try and keep the timeline for his alibi straight.

DCI McGuinness also outlined how new CCTV evidence had emerged that caused police to review Mr McCullagh's previous status as a witness and to instead make him a suspect.

CCTV footage showed a man board a bus in Lisburn on the day of the killing, with his hood pulled down and scarf pulled up so that his face was obscured.

Footage from the Translink bus that he entered showed the man taking his change at which point he removed a black glove he was wearing. DCI McGuinness said that then revealed a second glove underneath, yellow in colour.

He went on to say that he believed this was consistent with a Marigold glove and that he had recovered a glove print at the crime scene with blood on it.

Natalie McNally's brothers Niall (right) and Brendan (behind) arrive at Lisburn Courthouse (PA Wire/PA Images)

The man is also carrying a green 'bag for life' and the senior officer said a black bag could be seen inside it.

The CCTV footage police have gathered shows the man leaving the bus and 10 minutes before the CCTV footage previously released of a man entering Silverwood Green, the person is shown walking along Lough Road past the junction with Silverwood Green.

The man is seen on the CCTV footage without the green bag, but carrying the black bag.

Previous CCTV footage showed a man after 9.30pm, with a black bag on his shoulders.

Police believe it is the same man who was on the bus footage and that he had changed his clothes.

A short time later, the man then gets into a taxi outside Fa Joe's Bar in Lurgan.

The court heard the taxi driver believed he was picking up a fare to Lurgan but the driver told police the man who got in asked to be taken to Lisburn as his mother was apparently sick.

Police believe the man opportunistically took the taxi ordered by another man.

Natalie McNally was 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed (PSNI)

GPRS analysis from the vehicle later obtained for the taxi shows it stopped off outside the address of Stephen McCullagh.

It was also revealed that McCullagh's phone had been seized when he was arrested and it had been off network between 6pm and 11.16pm.

The court was told the phone was manually activated at that time, which was around three minutes after the taxi had stopped at McCullagh's house.

DCI McGuinness described this as "strange behaviour" at a "significant time" for his investigation.

McCullagh later said in a written statement that his YouTube broadcast had not been live, but said he had been at home drinking and had fallen asleep, which was why his phone was not in use.

He said he had woken at some point and swiped up to activate the phone.

McCullagh denies murder and said someone else may have been dropped off in a taxi near his home.

A Public Prosecution lawyer had urged the judge to refuse bail, insisting there were no conditions that would alleviate concerns about releasing the murder accused.

Judge Watters refused bail having listened to the submissions made by those in court and remanded McCullagh into custody. He will appear at Craigavon Court via videolink on February 24.

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