A jury of seven women and five men in the trial of man accused of the murder of Chloe Mitchell in Ballymena has been sworn in.

Brandon Rainey, formerly of James Street, Ballymena, denies murdering the 21-year-old on 3 June 2023 and preventing the lawful burial of her remains.

The 30-year-old defendant appeared in the dock wearing a grey tracksuit and confirmed his name and then replied "yes" when asked if he was ready for his trial.

The jury has been sent home for the day and the trial is set to begin on Wednesday.

More than 60 friends and family of Chloe Mitchell were in the public gallery.

The process of jury selection began with the judge, Mr Justice Fowler, asking potential jurors to raise anything with him that they thought would affect their ability to try the case.

They were given some information about the case by a prosecution barrister – including that the alleged murder of Chloe Mitchell happened in James Street in Ballymena and that the defendant lived in that street at the time.

They were also given information about some of the witnesses who are expected to be called during the course of the trial, which the judge told them is expected to last about four to five weeks.

Jury selection lasted just under an hour and the judge then reminded all the jurors that they should not discuss details of the case with friends or family or read anything about the case.

He then sent them home for the day, with the first evidence in the trial due to be heard on Wednesday.

Chloe Mitchell's remains were found days after she went missing.

The 21-year-old was last seen alive on CCTV in Ballymena town centre in the early hours of 3 June 2023 and an extensive search operation was launched by the PSNI.

Detectives investigating her disappearance later launched a murder inquiry after human remains were discovered in the County Antrim town.