Cheers erupted at Belfast Crown Court amid emotional scenes after Stephen McCullagh was convicted of murdering his partner Natalie McNally.
It came at the start of the fifth week of the trial of McCullagh, 36, of Woodland Gardens, Lisburn, at Belfast Crown Court.
The jury of six men and six women reached the verdict after around two hours of deliberations, and four weeks of hearing evidence which delved into Ms McNally and McCullagh’s relationship, his audacious staging of a six-hour livestream to give him an alibi and how he disguised himself to go to her house.
The trial heard Ms McNally died at her home in Lurgan after sustaining serious and multiple fatal injuries in an act which the prosecution described as a “planned, calculated, pre-meditated murder by the defendant”.
She had been 15 weeks pregnant with McCullagh’s son.
The public gallery was filled to capacity with Ms McNally’s family, friends and supporters as anticipation mounted that a verdict would be reached.
It was just after 3.30pm when the jury returned into the courtroom with their verdict.
McCullagh showed no emotion, dressed in the blue jumper, grey T-shirt and jeans combination which he had worn for most of the trial and standing between two members of prison staff as he awaited the verdict.
He simply remained looking towards the jury as the foreperson revealed their guilty verdict and the public gallery erupted with cheers, waving arms and embraces.
As the cheers faded, the sound of sobbing could be heard as the enormity of the moment sank in.
The judge, Mr Justice Kinney, asked those in the public gallery to calm down as he continued with the remainder of the proceedings.
After the court session rose, there were also cheers from the public gallery for the detectives and police who worked to bring McCullagh to justice.
