Hauna Pyper was charged with the murder of Darren McNally in 2020. Pyper (43), of Primity Terrace in the city, had a four-year relationship with the victim. During the two-week trial, held at Coleraine Crown Court, evidence was presented to the court that Pyper was the victim of prolonged domestic violence. Mr McNally (46) was stabbed as he lay in bed at her home on June 8, 2020. He had suffered a single stab wound to the back that had punctured a lung. The Honorable Judge Philip Babington spent an hour on Thursday going over the facts of the case with the jury. “It is accepted that, to some extent and in some way, the actions of Shauna Pyper caused the death of Darren McNally,” Judge Babington said. The court had previously heard evidence that mother-of-one Pyper had been dependent on alcohol for much of her life, having started drinking at the age of 13. The relationship with Mr McNally, the court was told, started because he “apparently had the best drink at a party they were both at”. The court heard the victim, when sober, was “a charming person”. Pyper was diagnosed with alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) in 2005. Mr McNally was also an alcoholic. Pyper’s mother and daughter both testified at trial that they believed Darren McNally was violent towards her. Her mother said she used to go to her daughter’s house often, but stopped doing so because Mr. McNally wouldn’t let her in. She recalled how she questioned Pyper about the bruises on her arms and the marks on her face, “but she made excuses” and never told her mother that there was abuse in the relationship. Both Pyper and Mr McNally had high levels of alcohol in their system on the night of his death. A 999 call made by Pyper in the evening was made at the stadium. During the call he was heard saying: “It’s my fault. It’s totally my fault.” The defendant always accepted she was responsible for Mr McNally’s death but said she did not remember stabbing him. The defense argued that because of prolonged domestic abuse, Pyper was not guilty of manslaughter by way of diminished responsibility. The jury took several hours to return a verdict of “not guilty” of murder, but guilty of manslaughter. Ciaran Shiels of Madden & Finucane Solicitors, who represented Ms Pyper, said: “We welcome the jury’s verdict and thank them for their careful and sensitive consideration of this matter. “However, given the clear background of serious and ongoing domestic violence and abuse, and the independent evidence to support this, serious questions must urgently be raised about the decision taken by the PPS to attempt to convict this woman for murder. “We are at a real loss to understand how it could possibly have been in the public interest, or in the interest of justice, to ever treat this case as meriting a prosecution for murder,” he added. PPS has been contacted for a response.
