LEICESTERSHIRE MAN JAILED FOR LIFE OVER GIRLFRIEND'S BRUTAL MURDER
Ross McCullam, a laboratory worker, was convicted of murdering his girlfriend Megan Newborough in her home in Coalville, Leicestershire, on 6 August 2021.The court heard that he had strangled the 23-year-old and then cut her throat 14 times, before dumping her body in undergrowth behind a stone wall near Woodhouse Eaves.
He invited Megan to his house when his parents were out, attacked her, and attempted to decapitate her with a carving knife.
After killing her, he bundled her body into her car and drove to Charley Road where he left her.
McCullam discarded Megan’s mobile phone but failed to turn it off and later left messages professing love and concern, trying to cover up the crime.
Following a six-week trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to at least 23 years in prison, receiving a life sentence with a minimum of 23 years.
During the trial, family members described Megan as supportive, caring, and a loving person, and they expressed profound grief and anger about her brutal killing.
The judge described the murder as a very substantial aggravating factor, condemning McCullam’s actions as a dreadful and sustained effort to kill her.
Megan’s family described her as a generous and kind soul who had gone through difficult times recently, which made her more vulnerable to manipulation.
McCullam claimed he had not intended to harm Megan and said he lost control in a 'blind rage' caused by PTSD, which he attributed to childhood sexual abuse.
He admitted manslaughter but denied murder.
The court noted the brutality of the act and the devastating impact on Megan’s family, emphasizing the tragic loss of her promising future.
