A man has been convicted of the murder of a hotel worker in an assault at a railway station platform.
Deng Chol Majek, a Sudanese asylum seeker claiming to be 19 years old, was residing at the Park Inn hotel in Walsall when he was accused of killing Ms. Whyte. The 27-year-old victim was stabbed in the head 23 times on October 20 last year and succumbed to her injuries three days later in the hospital. Ms. Whyte was attacked while waiting for a train home after work around 11:15 pm. During the trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court, jurors watched CCTV footage showing Majek staring at Ms. Whyte and then deliberately bumping into her at the hotel entrance towards the end of her shift, according to prosecutors.
Subsequently, Majek was observed following Ms. Whyte into Bescot Stadium station and later leaving the platform. He was then seen socializing with friends, smoking, and drinking in a car park near the Park Inn hotel. A housing officer from the hotel noted that Majek appeared to be in good spirits in the car park, displaying a different demeanor than before. Mobile phone footage presented to the jurors showed Majek dancing with his friends on his way back to his hotel room.
Throughout the trial, Majek denied the charges of murder, possessing a screwdriver, and being present at the train station where the stabbing occurred. He claimed he was “staying in the hotel, outside” at the time of the attack. Majek’s statements and responses in court were translated by a Sudanese Arabic interpreter.
Majek informed the court that a mistaken date of birth recorded by authorities in Germany, which indicated him as 27 years old, was due to an error on an identification document. He asserted that he left Sudan at the age of 16.
Senior Investigator DCI Paul Attwell stated, “This was a brutal, cowardly, and completely unprovoked assault on a vibrant and selfless young woman with a promising future ahead of her. Majek has not displayed any remorse for the heinous and cold-blooded act of taking Rhiannon’s life, nor has he provided any motive, subjecting her family to a trial despite compelling evidence against him.”
“While justice has been served today, it cannot alleviate the anguish and devastation experienced by Rhiannon’s family over the past year. I commend their remarkable strength and dignity in the face of such horrific circumstances and their unwavering support throughout our investigation.”
“It is evident how deeply Rhiannon was cherished by her loved ones, and today, we should honor her memory and legacy rather than focusing on her perpetrator.”