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The family of Chloe Mitchell, a young woman from Ballymena who was murdered in June 2023, is deeply distressed by the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the start date of the trial for the man accused of her murder. Chloe’s sister, Nadine Mitchell, expressed the family’s frustration after another court hearing to assess the trial schedule in light of a barristers’ strike. The strike threatens to delay the trial of Brandon John Rainey, formerly of James Street, Ballymena, who is due to stand trial on 23 February.
Nadine described how the family has once again been left waiting without answers, causing immense emotional strain. “All we can do is yet again wait, I mean we have waited all week on an answer,” she said. “We’ve had knots in our stomach, we’re running off our little sleep. The whole family’s just in complete distress.” The strike has caused a significant disruption in Northern Ireland’s criminal justice system, stalling almost all trials that require legal aid. The Mitchell family has urged that an exception be made to allow the case to proceed on schedule.
The family attended a brief court hearing recently, with another review scheduled for 16 February while work continues behind the scenes related to the case. Speaking to reporters outside court, Chloe’s father, George Mitchell, conveyed the emotional toll on the family, calling the situation “just turmoil.” Reflecting on the impact on his wife, he said, “She’s in the house, stuck this two and a half years and over.” He expressed the family’s deep desire for closure: “We just want answers, to get the case up and running and try and get a step forward.”
Chloe Mitchell disappeared in early June 2023, prompting extensive searches that led to the discovery of her remains about eight days later. Brandon Rainey was arrested and charged not only with her murder, suspected to have happened between 2 and 5 June, but also with attempting to prevent “the lawful and decent burial of a deceased body.” The current barristers’ strike, led by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), is a protest against legal aid fees that have remained unchanged since 2005. Despite a government promise of a 16% fee increase, the strike continues as barristers highlight a crisis in the justice system caused by insufficient pay, with many younger lawyers refusing to handle legal aid cases. Justice Minister Naomi Long has condemned the delay of cases during the dispute but acknowledged that decisions about exceptions rest with the CBA, which remains in discussions with prosecutors regarding this and other cases
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