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A man who strangled and stabbed his colleague just weeks after they began a relationship has been found guilty of her murder. Ross McCullam, 30, a laboratory worker, began a relationship with Megan Newborough, 23, a month before he killed her in 2021. He strangled her and then cut her throat 14 times, before telling police he did so “to make sure Megan was dead”.

McCullam then dumped Ms Newborough’s body close to a country lane in Leicestershire before trying to cover his tracks by leaving a voicemail on her phone telling her that he loved her. He was found guilty of her murder at Leicester Crown Court today after a six-week trial, and nodded twice as the verdict was read out.

Ms Newborough’s mother, father and sister cried and hugged at the back of the court as he was convicted. The family said their lives have “well and truly been ripped apart” after the verdict.

“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 said in a statement.

“Megan’s story is our story – we’re the ones serving the life sentence. 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 pair met at a brick-making firm. On the evening of August 6 last year, Ms Newborough left her home in Nuneaton, telling her family she was meeting McCullam for a walk. She drove to the home he shared with his parents in Coalville. Both his parents were out. Within 40 minutes of her arrival, he had murdered her.

McCullam then undertook a “series of deliberate actions carefully calculated and executed to cover up Megan’s murder”, the trial heard. After the murder, he sent a text message to Ms Newborough’s phone where he told her she was “amazing” and said he loved her. It was sent while her body was bundled into the passenger seat of her own car.

After driving away, he disposed of her phone in undergrowth before dumping her body over a stone wall near the village of Woodhouse Eaves. McCullam then drove to Loughborough, where he was caught on CCTV changing his clothes. He took a taxi home and arrived back soon before his parents returned.

At around 11.30pm he called Ms Newborough’s phone and left a voice message telling her he loved her.

McCullam had previously admitted manslaughter but denied murder, claiming he acted out of “blind rage” after remembering sexual abuse from his childhood, which triggered a moment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

McCullam said in evidence that he and Ms Newborough had started to engage in sexual activity when he swore at her because he “felt a bit awkward”. Claiming Ms Newborough had playfully given him “a little bit of a slap” on the side of his leg, McCullam said: “She pulled me closer and said ‘come here’.

“That’s just when I exploded… just rage. I pushed her forward with all my strength. I have never ever felt like that before. It was like a volcano. I remember feeling like I couldn’t get out – she was trapping me. It was just blind rage.”

McCullam searched the internet for pornography and looked up details of serial killers in the hours after he disposed Ms Newborough’s body.

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Police found he conducted online searches linked to serial killer Levi Bellfield, Soham killer Ian Huntley and Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe.

Asked why he had made the searches and sent messages to Ms Newborough’s phone despite knowing she was dead, McCullam said: “At the time I was being delusional. It was almost like a fantasy world. I just cringe when I remember it and I hate what I have done.”

Detective Inspector Jenni Heggs,from Leicestershire Police, said: “I genuinely believe having investigated this from the offset that Ross enjoyed killing Megan.

“I genuinely think that it excited him and I genuinely believe that he had the potential to kill again. From his actions afterwards, they certainly didn’t show signs of any remorse whatsoever. And even throughout the trial, in terms of the killing of Megan, he really hasn’t shown any remorse.”

McCullam will be sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Friday.

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