Asylum seeker convicted of murdering hotel worker in ‘cowardly’ station stabbing

An “utterly callous” asylum seeker seen dancing and laughing after stabbing a hotel worker 23 times on a railway station platform has been found guilty of murder.

Deng Chol Majek, who is believed to have entered the UK by small boat less than three months before launching a frenzied attack on Rhiannon Whyte, showed no emotion in the dock as the verdict was returned.

Jurors at Wolverhampton Crown Court deliberated for two hours and five minutes on Friday before unanimously convicting Majek of murder and possessing a screwdriver as an offensive weapon.

A two-week trial heard that Majek had been reported to security at the Park Inn hotel in Walsall, West Midlands, where he lived and Rhiannon worked, after “spookily” staring at three female staff members for prolonged periods on October 20 last year.

Rhiannon finished work at 11pm and was then “tracked” on foot by Majek to the nearby Bescot Stadium station, where he inflicted 19 wounds to her head, including a fatal brain stem injury.

CCTV played at Majek’s trial showed he disappeared from view on to a deserted platform for 90 seconds at about 11.18pm to attack Ms Whyte, 27, the mother of a five-year-old son.

She died in hospital three days later, after being found injured in a shelter on the platform by the driver and guard of a train which pulled in about five minutes later.

Speaking outside court, one of Rhiannon Whyte’s three sisters, Alex Whyte, described her sibling as someone with “a beautiful and bright future” who was smart, kind, funny, caring and hardworking.

She said: “On Sunday the 20th October 2024, my family were handed a life sentence when Deng Chol Majek launched a frenzied and unprovoked attack on Rhiannon for no apparent reason whatsoever.

“There is no end to the pain or suffering we’ve had to endure or continue to experience.

“On that horrific day, our precious Rhiannon was shown no mercy. Throughout this trial we have been given no reason as to why he chose Rhiannon, no accountability for his actions and no remorse.

“She fought for her life and to save herself from this sick, twisted and cowardly human – who showed no regard for Rhiannon or human life.”

No motive for the killing was given at the trial, but Majek, originally from Sudan, had brushed past Ms Whyte earlier in the evening as he left the hotel to smoke.

He is alleged to have lied to the court about his age, claiming to be 19 despite a date of birth making him 27 being recorded by authorities during a failed asylum claim in Germany.

Majek, who at 6ft 3in was about 10 inches taller than Ms Whyte, walked to the Caldmore Green area of Walsall after the attack to buy beer and was recorded on CCTV apparently wiping blood from his trousers.

He returned to the hotel at 12.13am, changed his bloodstained flip-flops for trainers and was seen dancing with other residents in the car park, within sight of emergency vehicles called to the station.

A housing officer based at the hotel told jurors Majek “almost seemed sad” before Ms Whyte was stabbed, and appeared to be “back to himself” after she was taken to hospital.

In her closing speech to the jury, prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC described Majek’s dismissal of DNA evidence and his claims not to be a man caught on clear CCTV wearing a distinctive jacket and flip-flops, as “laughable”, and an insult to relatives of Ms Whyte listening from the public gallery.

Ms Heeley said of Majek’s behaviour after the murder: “He is celebrating, his mood has changed from that prolonged scowl in the cafe before the murder to dancing and joy after the murder.

“It is utterly callous.”

Speaking in a pooled interview, the family of Ms Whyte said the year since her death has been “hell on earth”, but they remain focused on keeping alive the memory of their quirky and caring loved one who “would always put everyone else before herself”.

They have also spoken of the heartache of having to break the news of her death to her young son.

Ms Whyte’s sister Alex said of the strength shown by her siblings, mother and wider family members: “This is everything that Rhiannon would have ever wanted.

“The strength that we’ve kept as a family, the positivity that is instilled in our children and in her son. We promised her in the hospital we were going to live the way she wanted us to live.”

Carla Harris, a senior crown prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Rhiannon Whyte should have been able to go to work and come home safely, but Deng Chol Majek robbed her of her life and future.

“He attacked her for no reason and callously left her bleeding on a station platform.

“He then appeared to rejoice in his actions, having been caught laughing and dancing on footage an hour later.

“Although nothing can bring Rhiannon back, I hope these convictions provide some sense of justice to her family and friends.”

Trial judge Mr Justice Soole adjourned sentencing to December 15, telling the court it would be necessary to verify the defendant’s age before deciding the minimum term he must serve.

The judge, who was told the defendant would have to consent to age-verification tests, told the jury: “The sentencing will have to be postponed. Your task is now over.”

Defence KC Gurdeep Garcha then told the court: “I respectfully agree that your assessment of the defendant’s age has a direct bearing on his overall culpability and therefore the minimum term.

“It seems to us the prosecution ought to set that process in train.”

Giving a statement outside court, Detective Chief Inspector Paul Attwell, of British Transport Police, said it was truly shocking that Majek had shown no remorse since the murder of Ms Whyte.

The senior investigating officer said: “First and foremost, my thoughts are with Rhiannon’s family and friends, who despite today’s guilty verdicts, have already been handed a lifetime’s sentence following her murder.”

Saying officers would never know the motive, if indeed there was one, for the “savage” killing, Mr Attwell added: “It was a brutal, cowardly and unprovoked attack on a vibrant, selfless young woman who had her whole life ahead of her.

“It is truly shocking to me that at no point has Majek ever shown any remorse for taking Rhiannon’s life in such a violent and cold-blooded way.