A YouTuber who faked a gaming livestream to pretend he murdered his pregnant girlfriend has been jailed for at least 31 years.The sentence was handed down after a court hearing in Belfast in which it was ruled that he had carried out a “brutal and frenzied attack”.Stephen McCullagh, 36, of Lisburn, Ireland, showed no emotion as Justice Kinney sentenced him to life in prison with a minimum of 31 years. A jury had already convicted him of murdering his partner, 32-year-old Natalie McNally.McNally was 15 weeks pregnant and was murdered at her home in Lurgan, County Armagh in December 2022. McCullagh carefully planned the attack and later tried to cover his tracks by using a fake online broadcast.He told detectives he was streaming video games on his YouTube channel at the time of the murder. However, the six-hour livestream was not live at all. It was recorded several days in advance and was to be played as if it were happening in real time. The judge said the fake stream was an important part of the murder plan.After the murder, McCullagh also attempted to cast suspicion on Ms McNally’s former partner. He maintained contact with her family and presented himself as a grieving person while they were mourning her death. He also spent time with her relatives after the murder, including at her wake, where he appeared to support her while hiding his involvement.The judge said McCullagh was satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Ms McNally’s face was placed in a dog bowl after the attack, describing it as an abusive act. Kinney told McCullagh that his actions were “cruel and senseless”.McCullagh stood silently as the sentence was read. The judge said the minimum term of 31 years could not reflect the value of McNally’s life or the life of her unborn child, named Dean.After the sentencing, McNally’s father Noel said the family felt they were serving a “life sentence” after their loss.He said: “Over the past three and a half years, our family has been through unimaginable pain and grief over the loss of our beautiful Natalie.He added: “With respect, we are asking for some privacy now as we grieve.”