MAN ADMITS KILLING CHLOE MITCHELL, BARRISTER TELLS COURT
A man accused of murdering Ballymena woman Chloe Mitchell now admits that he killed her, his barrister has told a court.Brandon John Rainey, formerly of James Street in the town, was due to go on trial on 9 March for the murder of Chloe, which he denied.
At an emergency hearing at Belfast Crown Court on Friday, his barrister said 29-year-old Rainey would now plead guilty to killing the 21-year-old by reason of diminished responsibility.
Chloe was killed in the County Antrim town in June 2023.
Rainey further denies a charge of attempting to prevent "the lawful and decent burial of a deceased body'' on 3 June 2023.
During the emergency hearing on Friday, senior defence counsel Neil Connor KC said he wanted to update the court following a review of proceedings on Thursday and ahead of the proposed trial next month.
He said: "The reason for the unexpected hearing this morning is that myself, my junior counsel Mr Neil Moore and my instructing solicitor Mr James Ballentine, had a scheduled consultation with Mr Rainey yesterday afternoon.
"That consultation took a perhaps unexpected turn to the extent that my instructions from Mr Rainey have changed which is likely to have a substantial impact on the trial."
