Porn-obsessed killer who strangled partner to death told hope she haunts you

A porn-obsessed killer has been jailed for life after he strangled and nearly decapitated his girlfriend.

Ross McCullam, 30, strangled 23-year-old Megan Newborough at his home in Coalville, Leicestershire, when she went round for the first time less than a month into their courtship.

He strangled her to death before going on to stab her 14 times in the neck in a bid to decapitate her before hiding her body in the countryside near Woodhouse Eaves.

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After ditching her corpse, he texted her number to say "you were amazing" and asked if she had got home safe.

McCullam denied the murder charges he faced, claiming he had PTSD after being raped in childhood, which had caused him to kill his girlfriend, who he met at his job as a lab technician.

And despite admitting to having killed her, he sought a manslaughter conviction rather than murder.

It wasn't enough to convince a jury, however – a jury took just 91 minutes to convict the killer after a six-week trial.

Today (December 16), he was sentenced to life behind bars at Leicester Crown Court.

During the hearing, Megan's sister, Claire, gave a victim impact statement.

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She told McCullam: "You are an unpredictable menace and a danger to women.

"You appear to crave some sort of notoriety. Megan always thought she could fix people – but fixing evil isn't possible.

"I hope that she haunts you forever."

Claire also described the trial as "hell" and McCullam as "the very definition of a monster".

She added: "Megan's loss is so profound, words can't describe the emptiness we feel. Megan was a sensitive soul and all she ever wanted was to be loved."

Judge Philip Head, who sentenced McCullam, gave him a minimum of 23 years before he is eligible for parole.

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He told McCullam: "It was her dreadful misfortune to become involved in a relationship with you."

As part of the trial, experts weighed in on how a PTSD flashback could have explained McCullam's actions.

McCullam also gave evidence and described the time when he was eight or nine and was made to kiss a girl in a garage and forced to take his clothes off.

He said he was also later raped by an older boy.

The court also heard from Megan's father, Anthony, who said the family had been "ripped apart by an evil human being" in the wake of his daughter's death.

Mr Newborough said: "As a father, I always worried about Megan meeting up with men. I even offered to go with her that night [when she was killed].

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"My wife didn't sleep that night, watching and waiting as the hours ticked by. She didn't want to be intrusive but her intuitions were screaming out worry and concern."

Police later visited the family home and told them Megan's body had been found.

He said their "hearts expoded into little pieces and are shattered beyond repair" and added that when he and his wife went to identify Megan's body, he collapsed and cried for more than 15 minutes.

He added: "It's like a horror film. But it's a true story – Megan's story and our story.

"She was our princess and the defendant, with his evil hands and evil mind, has taken her away from us forever."

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In mitigation, Kerim Fuad KC told the judge that McCullam was a "severely damaged man", but was "not totally beyond repair" and would be working on his issues in prison.

He said his client would benefit from a target to work towards so "he doesn't abandon all hope".

After carrying out the killing, McCullam watched YouTube videos about infamous convict Charles Bronson, and repeatedly researched serial killer Levi Belfield, who murdered teenager Milly Dowler, Soham monster Ian Huntley, Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and the Manchester Arena bombing.

He also searched for "domination pornography", and watched explicit videos the morning after the killing – around the time he was sending messages to his victim's phone.

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