Ipswich man, 27, pleads guilty to murdering mother-of-three

A man has pleaded guilty to murdering a “defenceless” mother-of-three who was stabbed to death in front of her friends and members of the public “in broad daylight”.

Courtney Mitchell, 26, died following an incident in Burrell Road, Ipswich at 19:10 BST on 6 August.

Her ex-partner, Logan Burnett, 27, of All Saints Road, Ipswich, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court earlier and also admitted two counts of possession of knives.

Burnett was remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing on 17 February.

The defendant appeared in court wearing a blue denim jacket with a white collar.

Judge Martyn Levett told Burnett that the “only sentence I can pass is one of life imprisonment”.

“You need to anticipate a very long prison sentence,” he added.

In October, an inquest into Ms Mitchell’s death was opened and adjourned. It heard Ms Mitchell was walking with her friends towards Ipswich Skate Park just after 19:00 BST when she was chased by someone walking from the opposite direction.

“In Burrell Road, Miss Mitchell suffered multiple fatal stab wounds to her upper body during the attack,” the inquest was told.

Det Supt Nicola Wallace, the senior investigating officer, said Ms Mitchell’s death was a “completely senseless loss of life”.

“Logan Burnett is a violent coward who murdered a defenceless woman in front of her friends and members of the public in broad daylight,” she added.

“At least by admitting his guilt, Burnett has spared Courtney’s family the additional trauma of a trial, but the pain and anguish his actions that evening have caused will live with them for ever.”

Ms Mitchell’s family previously paid tribute to her following her death, describing her as “beautiful” in a joint statement.

It read: “No amount of words can comprehend what type of person Courtney was but we will try to share some of her light.

“Her contagious smile lit up any room and her laughter was the sweetest sound in our home. Her kindness had no limits, she was always there for everybody – family, friend, or stranger.

“She was helpful in every way possible; her empathy knew no bounds. She was fun, fierce and extremely loyal.”

Ms Mitchell was a mother of two sons and a daughter who, her family said, loved her “immeasurably”.