Man to appear in court today charged with the murder of 15-weeks-pregnant Natalie McNally

A statement from the PSNI said that Detectives from Major Investigation Team yesterday (Thursday February 2nd) charged a 32-year-old man with the murder of Natalie McNally in Lurgan on December 18, 2022.

They added the man had been arrested on January 31 in the Lisburn area – after previously being arrested on December 19th 2022.He is due to appear at Lisburn Magistrates Court today, 2nd February.

And as is is normal procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.

Natalie McNally, 32, who was 15 weeks pregnant, was stabbed in her home in Lurgan on December 18.

Last weekend more than 1,000 people gathered at a rally in her memory at Lurgan Park.

The rally was organised by the National Women’s Council (NWC) and was attended by Natalie’s parents Noel and Bernie and her brothers Brendan, Niall and Declan.

A number of politicians were in attendance, including Sinn Fein’s Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill.

Many of those in attendance carried placards reading: “Justice for Natalie”, and: “She was only at home”, while a number wore pink or blue items of clothing in memory of the mother-to-be.

Brendan McNally told the rally that his sister was an inspiration to other women.

He said: “Natalie was a remarkable person. From the age of three she lived with type one diabetes.

“However, it remains a testament to her character that she was never restrained in what she wanted to achieve in life.

“She was delighted to be becoming a mother for the first time. For any young person living with diabetes in Northern Ireland, Natalie is an ideal inspiration.”

He added: “Violence against women and girls is one of the great scourges of our society.

“This is no basis for a shared future.

“The time has long come for us to recognise that we cannot rest until the perpetual assaults against women are ended for good.”

Detectives investigating Ms McNally’s murder carried out hundreds of house-to-house inquiries and seized more than 4,000 hours of CCTV footage.

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