A senior judge at Belfast Crown Court said on Friday that he would fix a trial date next month for Brandon Rainey, the man charged with murdering 21-year-old Chloe Mitchell in Ballymena in 2023. Rainey, formerly of James Street in the town, denies murder and denies preventing the lawful burial of her remains.
The case has already been delayed once. Rainey, described in the original charge papers as 30 years old, was due to stand trial in March 2026, but that date collapsed after his previous legal team withdrew, telling the court they had been \"professionally compromised\" and that the defendant no longer wanted them to represent him.
Why did Rainey change legal teams?
A new defence team led by senior counsel Des Fahy KC, instructed by Phoenix Law, formally came on record a few weeks after the earlier team withdrew. The difficulty in securing replacement representation had itself caused delay, as detailed in earlier coverage of the case, including reporting on Rainey's struggle to secure a new solicitor and his subsequent move to appoint a new legal team ahead of a trial that had at that point been pencilled in for 13 April.
What did the court hear about psychiatric evidence?
During Friday's review, defence barrister Andrew Moriarty told Mr Justice Fowler that a psychiatric report from Dr Richard Latham was expected by the end of the month. Senior prosecution counsel David Russell KC said the Crown had separately instructed a psychologist, with visits to examine Rainey booked for 27 and 28 August at Maghaberry Prison.
Mr Justice Fowler told the defence barrister that his instructing solicitor should stress to Dr Latham that the deadline needed to be met, saying he wanted the case listed for trial as soon as possible.
\"It should be explained to him that this is an important and serious case and I wish to have this matter listed for trial as soon as possible. So I am looking for late October or November.''
How long is the trial expected to last?
Russell said there were enough witnesses available for proceedings to begin and that a witness schedule would be drawn up, telling the court the trial was expected to run for up to five weeks.
\"There are enough witnesses available to get this trial up and running and we will draw up a witness schedule.''
Fowler said he would not fix a firm start date until he knew whether Dr Latham's report would be served on the prosecution and the court.
\"I purport to fix a date for this trial once a decision has been made on whether that report is to be served on the prosecution and the court. I will list the case for mention on Thursday 3 September and I will then fix a date for the trial on that occasion,'' added Fowler.
What happened to Chloe Mitchell?
Chloe Mitchell was last seen alive on CCTV in Ballymena town centre in the early hours of 3 June 2023, prompting an extensive search operation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Her remains were discovered in the County Antrim town about a week later.
Detectives launched a murder inquiry once the human remains were found, an investigation that led officers to a flat in the James Street area of the town and resulted in Rainey's arrest.
What happens next in the case?
Beyond the 3 September mention date set by Mr Justice Fowler, later court proceedings show the case continued to move through several further stages. According to a subsequent BBC report, a trial date was eventually set for 23 February 2026, with a further mention listed for 7 November; that same report described Rainey as 29 years old, differing from the 30-year-old age given in the original court papers. A later hearing, reported by a further BBC update, saw the trial date pushed back again, with a judge setting a new date in April.
By the time of a February hearing, the court was told that psychiatric evaluations from both the defence and the Crown had been submitted, with the trial by then expected to last around four weeks, according to the same BBC report. A separate report noted that Rainey was residing at HMP Maghaberry and that work remained to be done on witnesses, disclosure and experts. That report also said Chloe Mitchell's family had described themselves as \"relieved\" that the case was progressing despite the repeated delays.
A later development reported by indicated that Rainey's defence team said he intended to plead guilty to killing Chloe Mitchell on the basis of diminished responsibility. Separately, another BBC report noted the case had become caught up in an ongoing barristers' strike, which introduced further uncertainty over whether the trial would proceed as scheduled. A further court appearance was subsequently listed for 26 February, per ITV's reporting.
Key Facts
- Brandon Rainey denies murdering Chloe Mitchell, 21, in Ballymena in 2023 and denies preventing the lawful burial of her remains.
- A previous legal team withdrew earlier this year, citing being \"professionally compromised''; a new team led by Des Fahy KC, instructed by Phoenix Law, later took over.
- A psychiatric report from Dr Richard Latham was due by the end of August, with a Crown-instructed psychologist visiting Rainey at Maghaberry Prison on 27 and 28 August.
- Mr Justice Fowler indicated he was targeting a trial start in late October or November, with a further mention listed for 3 September.
- Later reporting indicates the trial date was subsequently set, then moved multiple times, amid a barristers' strike and reports that Rainey intended to plead guilty by reason of diminished responsibility.
