Ross McCullam: ‘Sadistic’ murderer who strangled co-worker jailed as family ‘ripped apart’ by death

A “sadistic” murderer who murdered a female work colleague he had been dating for less than a month has been jailed for life with a minimum of 23 years.

“Ruthless” Ross McCullam, who had admitted manslaughter before his trial, was unanimously convicted of the “merciless” murder of “intelligent and popular” HR worker Megan Newborough, at Leicester Crown Court on Monday.

The family of Ms Newborough said their lives had been “ripped apart” by the murder.

“Megan was only 23 when she was killed – she was just days away from her 24th birthday and was about to move into her own house. We’ve still got things she’d bought and items she was going to take with her, which serve as a cruel reminder,” the family said in a statement.

The family added that their hearts are shattered beyond repair and they are now “serving a life sentence” as a result of her death.

The family continued: “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.”

McCullam had alleged he acted only after a loss of control which she had inadvertently triggered during oral sex.

Porn-obsessed McCullam sought to blame Ms Newborough, claiming he went into a “blind rage” set off by undiagnosed PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) caused by unreported childhood sexual abuse.

He claimed the trigger for the attack happened as she tried to press him into a sexual encounter at his parents’ home in Windsor Close, Coalville, Leicestershire, on 6 August, 2021.

But the claim was only the start of a web of lies he told, with jurors hearing how Ms Newborough had told her parents she was driving to McCullam’s house to go for a walk and would not be long.

Speaking after the conviction, detective inspector Jenni Heggs, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, described McCullam as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” and believed he would have “gone on to kill again”.

She said: “I think he has enjoyed it and been sexually aroused by it, by what he’s done. That’s a dangerous mix.”

There were signs Ms Newborough had fought desperately to fend off McCullam in the lounge.

“She was covered in injuries, from her shin to the crown of her head,” said Mr Cammegh.

There were grip marks to both shoulders, and her left arm, likely inflicted as McCullam attempted to “silence” her, and suggesting a “sustained, long, merciless, struggle”.

Her FitBit had also been ripped off in the attack and was later recovered underneath a nearby television.

Mr Cammegh branded McCullam to jurors as a “sadistic killer” who had acted with “ruthless” intent.

“When it comes to women – this is a very dangerous man,” he said.

Xural.com