Officer found human remains in bin in search for woman

A police officer has told a jury of the moment he found human remains in the search for a murdered woman.

PSNI Detective Sergeant Michael Russell was giving evidence at the trial of a man accused of murdering 21-year-old Chloe Mitchell in Ballymena, Co Antrim, on 3 June 2023.

Brandon Rainey, 30, denies her murder and a further charge of attempting to prevent a lawful burial.

The trial has heard they were in an "on-off relationship".

Sgt Russell said on 8 June 2023 he had been attached to the search for Ms Mitchell, who at that point was being treated as a high-risk missing person.

On 11 June, nine days after police now believe Ms Mitchell was murdered, the officer was sent to carry out door to door enquiries close to Mr Rainey's then flat at James Street in the town.

He said he was made aware of CCTV from a commercial premises in the area, which showed a male walking in the area in the early hours of 3 June carrying what appeared to be packages.

In the video the male could be seen returning with empty hands.

This was seen to happen several times.

The officer told the jury of six men and six women that he checked with a number of householders in the area about bin collection times.

There was a heatwave at the time.

As he walked through the area he said he was confronted by "a putrid smell", which a colleague also identified.

That led him to a bin outside a property.

He said when he opened it he was met with "an overwhelming stench" which almost made him sick.

He immediately informed his superiors who told him to secure the scene and await the arrival of crime scene investigators.

Sergeant Russell said he also checked another bin outside a different property in the street.

He said he was met with a "bank of flies" that led him to believe that it might also contain human remains.

Further investigations showed that the first bin contained a human leg and the other also contained human remains.

Earlier, the trial heard the statements of a number of witnesses read into the record.

They included the account of a man who had been at a barbecue attended by Mr Rainey and his mother that summer.

The witness said he heard the accused ask his mother if she would still love him if he "dismembered 50 people" and hid their bodies.

The same witness said that Mr Rainey had stripped to his boxers during the course of the evening and he had seen he was wearing a large knife in a sheath

The trial also heard from two friends who were the last to see Ms Mitchell alive.

They said they had gone with her to Mr Rainey's flat on the night of 2 June 2023.

They only stayed for a short while, but in their statements said that Ms Mitchell had decided to remain.

One of the women later contacted Mr Rainey to see if he could help in the search for her.

He told her that Ms Mitchell had only stayed for a further 15 minutes after them and she had then left.

A number of police witnesses also gave evidence.

They included mapping and photography specialists, several of whom were tasked to Mr Rainey's flat.

Inside they found a number of knives, a crossbow and evidence of blood spatter in several places in the property.

The case continues.