EXCLUSIVE: Convicted killer Stephen McCullagh used his online notoriety as a YouTuber to create a sick false alibi in a calculated attempt to get away with murdering his pregnant girlfriend, Natalie McNally11:11, 03 Jun 2026The account of an evil YouTuber who faked a livestream in an attempt to get away with murder remains online - and it advertises his sick alibi.‌Stephen McCullagh, 36, a gaming influencer with thousands of followers, took to social media to promote a livestream chillingly named "Violent Night" - and encouraged fans to tune in. But it was not live at all. Filmed days beforehand, it was all part of a vile plot to cover his tracks.‌As unknowing fans watched the six-hour gaming session on December 18 2022, evil McCullagh travelled to his pregnant girlfriend Natalie McNally's home in Lurgan, County Armagh, and murdered her and their unborn child. He has today been sentenced to a minimum term of 31 years in prison at Belfast Crown Court.‌To the outside world, it looked like he was online playing a video game, but a digital forensic analyst found that the six-hour stream had actually been recorded four days beforehand.Tragically, Natalie herself had liked posts promoting the event and even tuned in - with no idea that her partner, wearing a face covering, a hood and black gloves, was on his way to her home to kill her.‌McCullagh murdered his 32-year-old partner Natalie when she was 15 weeks pregnant. He was found guilty at Belfast Crown Court in March. Today, he was jailed for xxx.During the botched stream, at the time Natalie was believed to have been killed, McCullagh played out a video game mission where a woman must be killed. "I need to kill this b****, I need to take her down," he said in the video. "Abso-f******* not-ally, abso-f******* Natalie," he was heard saying a few minutes later - at no other point was his girlfriend named in the recording.‌The content creator, who had more than 40,000 YouTube subcribers, was well known in online Doctor Who and Robot Wars communities. The fake live stream recording saw him claim that due to technical hitches, he could not interact with viewers as he normally would. But it was all a ruse.The couple had only been dating from August 2022, after matching on the dating app Bumble. Natalie quickly fell pregnant and her boyfriend appeared to be pleased with the news: their unborn child was 15 weeks when the sick rampage took place.Natalie's murder was "prolonged" and "savage," a pathologist told the court. She had injuries to her limbs, neck, face and chest, including signs of strangulation and stab wounds. The following day, McCullagh went to her home and "discovered" her body, reporting her murder to the police, and even suggesting it was committed by Natalie's ex-partner.‌During the trial, the YouTube account of McCullagh - who used the moniker VoteSaxon07 online - remained active until after the court proceedings were complete, including the livestream he had faked to present an alibi for the night of the murder.After concerns were raised that videos on the channel could still be monetised, it was finally removed - but that was not the only account that McCullagh used prolifically. He also was also an active user on Reddit, where he described himself as a "manchild".‌In some Reddit posts, seen by The Mirror, McCullagh could be seen writing about his views on women. He said in one post that watching TV and films like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Alien "subtly showed me that women could be as strong, smart and powerful as guys". He added that they "left me as a man who respects women."Another comment in the same thread saw him write: "Why do her heroes have to just be women? Can she not have male heroes who will teach her the value of a good man?"After pressure from the Mirror, Reddit removed the killer's account. "Because Reddit collects minimal user data, we can't definitively confirm whether the account was associated with the individual in question. Out of an abundance of caution, we've suspended the account, consistent with our standard process in such situations," a spokesperson told us. The Mirror is confident, however, that the page belonged to the killer.‌In a cruel insult to Natalie's grieving family, the killer's Instagram and X profiles are both still up. It has been 21 days since the Mirror flagged to Meta that the killer's Instagram account is still online with a post bragging about the live stream - something experts warn will likely be highly retraumatising to Natalie's loved ones. So far, they have failed to take action.Tech expert Charlotte Hooper from the Cyber Helpline tells us that offenders' profiles remaining online even after their convictions is all too common, and can cause retraumatisation to the victim's and their loved ones. "Unfortunately, accounts linked to offenders are not always immediately removed.‌"Firstly, there may be ongoing legal proceedings and evidential considerations as part of this. But secondly, platforms simply may not have been alerted to concerns - platforms rely on user reports to trigger reviews, and as reviews of reports are frequently automated they may not pick up the seriousness and nuances behind reports."Harmful or distressing content therefore can remain online longer than expected, impacting families, victims and survivors," she explains. "This case demonstrates a level of planning and shows how technology can be used for manipulation. The technical side of hosting a livestream is not necessarily advanced itself, especially given McCullagh's background as a YouTuber, but the way it was used demonstrates deliberate planning," she explains about the sinister false alibi.‌Meanwhile Dr Charlotte Proudman, a barrister and women's rights expert, tells the Mirror: "This case demonstrates a disturbing level of calculation and premeditation. The creation of a false alibi through a staged livestream was not a spontaneous act but a deliberate attempt to manipulate evidence and evade accountability after the murder of a pregnant woman. That degree of planning speaks to possible coercive control, entitlement, and a chilling determination to conceal violent criminality."Social media platforms cannot continue to adopt a passive role where accounts connected to perpetrators of serious violent offences remain active unless external pressure is applied. While due process matters, there are legitimate public interest and victim protection concerns where platforms should act more swiftly and responsibly, particularly in cases involving extreme violence against women. The continued presence of such accounts risks retraumatising loved ones and sends the wrong message about corporate responsibility in the digital age."‌During trial, the court heard testimony from one of McCullaugh's ex-girlfriends who alleged that he had beaten her after discovering she had been messaging another man.The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court that the same evening she tried to jump out of a moving car, her then-boyfriend punched her in the temple. "He said I could kill myself on my own time," she claimed.The ex-girlfriend also alleged that McCullagh threatened to send photos of her from her phone to her loved ones and that he would burn items that belonged to her which were at his home.‌Two years later in January 2022, she learned she was pregnant but sadly the baby was stillborn, the Guardian reports. The woman underwent counselling to deal with her grief, and McCullagh secretly recorded her sessions, evidence of which was found on his computer in 2024 by the police. It was only weeks after their break-up that he matched with Natalie on the dating app.This was not the only occasion on which the murderer surreptitiously recorded people without their knowledge, the court was told. After being embraced initially by Natalie's family in their time of mourning, with his false alibi convincing everyone of his innocence, he recorded her family in their home for forty minutes, seemingly to see if they had any suspicions about him. The killer claimed he had forgotten his mobile after a visit, and came back later to collect it.Article continues belowFor confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk. If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk.