What the Natalie McNally case means for Violence Against Women in Northern Ireland

By Abigail Dalglish

Natalie McNally, 32, was 15 weeks pregnant when she endured a prolonged, violent murder in her Lurgan home in December 2022. The murder trial of Stephen McCullagh, her former partner, has now entered its second week at Belfast Crown Court, as of the 2nd of March 2026. This is one of twenty eight cases [1] of women and girls, who have been violently murdered in domestic settings in Northern Ireland, since 2020.

The Natalie McNally case has become a leading case for the campaign fighting for an end to Violence Against Women and Girls in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland has one of the highest rates of female homicide victims by intimate partner, in Europe. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have responded to instances of domestic abuse every 16 minutes since 2023. There is a grave crisis concerning violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland. The stark figures have left the public wondering, ‘how many women do we need to lose at the hands of violence before we see a systemic change?’

Various charities, such as Women’s Aid, have spoken out about Natalie McNally’s murder, and have continued to advocate for an extensive strategy to end violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland. McNally’s family have raised over £40,000 for Women’s Aid, which can help support life-saving services for victims of domestic abuse.

The figures on domestic abuse in Northern Ireland are frightening, and yet they are continuing to rise. Sonya McMullen, the Regional Service Manager of Women’s Aid Northern Ireland, calls on the Northern Ireland Assembly to take urgent action and develop a comprehensive strategy that brings us in line with the rest of the UK. Additionally, she proposes appointing a “Domestic Abuse Commissioner where there is oversight, like they have in England and Wales” [2]. Women cannot continue to endure such appalling violence at the hands of their partners.

This case also highlights the devastating impacts of delays rippling through our criminal justice system. Criminal barristers in Northern Ireland launched an indefinite strike on January 5th 2026, following a decision to withdraw services from all Crown Court publicly funded cases. This is due to inadequate funding for legal aid cases, with the Bar Council of Northern Ireland arguing that rates have not increased for decades. Natalie McNally’s murder trial was initially threatened to be delayed by the strikes, but after the case had already been subject to delay on three occasions, the Criminal Bar Association decided that the case should not be caught up in the strike. This decision was welcomed, with the McNally family describing the threatened trial delays as a “kick in the teeth” [3].

References

[1] Dunga, I., (2024). “A picture of violence: The 28 women killed in Northern Ireland since 2020”. BBC News, 5 Aug 2025. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8memlgdrgo

[2] O’Carroll, D., (2024). “Domestic abuse commissioner needed to tackle femicide in Northern Ireland, charity says”. The Guardian, 10 Nov 2024. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/nov/10/domestic-abuse-commissioner-needed-to-tackle-femicide-in-northern-ireland-charity-says

[3] Doyle, C., (2025). “Family ‘left in limbo’ after murder trial delay warning”. BBC News, 17 Dec 2025. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgmne8w3wkro