The Aontú deputy leader said 31 years is not long enough for Stephen McCullagh, who will be out while still in his 60s after serving his sentence for the brutal killing of the Lurgan woman in her own home.
Aontú deputy leader Gemma Brolly has said “life should mean life” in response to the sentencing of Stephen McCullagh for the brutal killing of pregnant girlfriend Natalie McNally.
McCullagh, 36, almost got away with murder when he claimed he had been live-streaming himself playing games on his YouTube channel, as a fake alibi.
He was sentenced today (WEDS) to 31 years for the horrific 2022 crime,
Said Brolly: “It’s good to get to the point McCullagh will be behind bars for this awful murder. But the system is deeply flawed when a family has to wait this long for justice.
“And this sentence lets McCullagh out in his 60s. It’s not good enough. He should not be out at all, ever again. He killed Natalie in the most horrendous way – and she was pregnant, so he took two lives. He tried to cover it up, never showed remorse. Surely in this case, life should mean life.”
Brolly, who represents Aontú in East Derry, said the case reminds women of how the north of Ireland has one of the highest femicide rates in Europe.
“This highlights the violence against women and girls here an dhow until the justice system does better and is working more efficiently, we will see more such terrible cases.
“Women’s support groups say cases like Natalie’s and Katie Simpson’s murder; and the Monaghan murder of Armagh girl Kelly Lynch – which was initially deemed by gardai to be a tragic accident – make women feel they cannot trust the system.
“Who can blame them, when they see these cover ups and men coming close to getting away with awful crimes? The entire system must be improved to protect women.”
