Megan Newborough: Man who strangled girlfriend convicted of murder

Ross McCullam strangled Megan Newborough in the living room of his home

A man who strangled his girlfriend and cut her throat 14 times before dumping her body has been convicted of murder.

Ross McCullam, a lab technician, attacked Megan Newborough, 23, at his home in Coalville, Leicestershire, on 6 August 2021. The pair had met at work.

He had admitted manslaughter but denied murder.

The 30-year-old was found guilty at Leicester Crown Court and is due to be sentenced before the same court on Friday.

Ms Newborough's family said she "was the most generous, loving and caring person"

McCullam invited Ms Newborough to his home in Windsor Close - where he lived with his family - when his parents were out.

He attacked her, throttling her to death before fetching a carving knife to cut her throat.

The defendant claimed he had not intended to harm Ms Newborough, from Nuneaton, but lost control of himself in what he said was "blind rage".

He said this was due to an episode of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which he claimed was caused by sexual abuse he himself had suffered as a child.

It took the jury just 90 minutes to find him guilty of murder.

Abandoned car

After murdering Ms Newborough, McCullam bundled her body into her own Citroen C3 and drove her to Charley Road, near Woodhouse Eaves, where he dumped her in undergrowth behind a stone wall.

He then abandoned her car in a car park in Loughborough before hailing a taxi home.

He continued to send Ms Newborough's phone messages and voicemails - including one telling her he loved her - to make it look like he thought she was still alive.

But he had thrown her phone into bushes by the roadside on the way to dump her body.

Ms Newborough's family reported her missing to police at lunchtime the following day after she did not return.

They tracked her phone down using a GPS app prompting police to launch a kidnap inquiry.

McCullam, who had searched on the internet for pornography and serial killers in the hours after the attack, was then arrested.

Fought for life

He told the arresting officers he had killed Ms Newborough, whom he had met some six weeks earlier at the Ibstock Brick factory where they both worked, and told them where her body was.

She was found in the early hours of 8 August, 2021.

Officers said McCullam had chosen such a secluded spot to hide her that, if he had not disclosed her location, she might have been undetected for weeks or months.

Police searched McCullam's house finding evidence that Ms Newborough had fought for her life, including her Fitbit watch that had been ripped from her wrist and was discovered on the living room floor.

There was also evidence that he had cleaned up bloodstains on the carpet - telling his parents a damp patch was caused by a spilled cup of coffee.

The court heard McCullam had boasted about what he had done to Ms Newborough to fellow prisoners while on remand awaiting his trial.

'Shone like a star'

After the verdict Ms Newborough's family said their lives had been "well and truly ripped apart" by her death and that, despite the support of those close to them, they were "still living in a nightmare".

In a statement, released by Leicestershire Police, they paid tribute to her saying: "Megan shone like a star to everyone she came into contact with. She excelled at work and was an enthusiastic dancer, teaching children of all ages.

"She had a bright future ahead of her."

They added: "She was an incredibly good judge of character. She knew who she could and couldn't trust. She left home that night in a very happy mood. The thought of what happened to her just hours later - and the evil facing her - is something we can't escape.

"The same thoughts constantly go around in our heads - should we have known? Is there anything we could've done? We're still overcome with guilt for not protecting her.

"Everything still doesn't seem real and when we're at home, we still expect Megan to walk through the front door. It's an expectation we don't think will ever leave us."