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A Sudanese asylum seeker described as “demonic and inhuman” has been jailed for at least 29 years for a vicious attack on a woman who was working at the hotel where he was living.
Deng Chol Majek is believed to have entered the UK by small boat less than three months before launching a frenzied assault on Rhiannon Whyte at Bescot Stadium railway station in Walsall on 20 October 2024, stabbing her 23 times.
Majek is said to have tracked Whyte to the station after she finished a shift at the Park Inn hotel, where he had been living, at 11pm before inflicting 19 wounds to her head, including a fatal brain stem injury.
Whyte’s family described Majek as “demonic and inhuman” in statements made in court on Friday as he was handed a life sentence.
CCTV played at Majek’s trial at Wolverhampton crown court showed he disappeared from view on to a deserted platform for 90 seconds at about 11.18pm to attack Whyte, 27, whose son was aged five at the time.
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 that pulled in about five minutes after the attack.
Jurors deliberated for two hours and five minutes before unanimously convicting Majek of murder and possessing a screwdriver as an offensive weapon.
Majek is said 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.
Presiding, Mr Justice Soole said Majek maintained he was aged 18 when he entered the UK in July 2024 but age assessments had concluded he was actually aged between 25 and 28, with the judge sentencing him on the basis he was 26.
Whyte’s family members arrived at Coventry crown court for the hearing wearing white T-shirts with her picture on them as groups of people waved England flags outside the building, and Tommy Robinson joined the crowds.
In a statement to the court, Rhiannon’s sister Alex said she was speaking “on behalf of me and my broken-hearted siblings Emma, Daniel and Cara, and Rhiannon’s two nieces and seven nephews. Most importantly for her now six-year-old son.”
She said Majek carried out a “vicious and pitiless assault on a terrified and defenceless young woman who he claims never to have spoken to or noticed”.
Addressing Majek, Whyte added: “I honestly feel that calling you demonic and inhuman is justifiable in the circumstances. What are we supposed to say?
“You brutalised Rhiannon and then partied as if nothing had happened. You celebrated. You might as well have danced on her grave.”
The trial heard Majek had been reported to security at the hotel after “spookily” staring at three female staff members for prolonged periods.
No motive for the killing was given at the trial, but Majek had brushed past Whyte earlier in the evening as he left the hotel to smoke.
After inflicting fatal injuries on Whyte, Majek walked to the Caldmore Green area of Walsall to buy beer and was recorded on CCTV seemingly 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.
Whyte’s mother, Donna Whyte, also gave a statement in court, telling Majek: “Let me see you dancing now.”
She said: “Her name will not be forgotten, she will not be a distant memory. We will keep her alive in our memory. You, however, are an evil nightmare that will be put aside, known only for your cruel and malicious act.
“By the grace of God, I hope you never see the outside world again.”
Defence KC Gurdeep Garcha said Majek continues to deny he was the person who murdered Whyte.
He said: “When he was interviewed by a probation officer in late November last year, the defendant denied he was guilty of the offences of which the jury convicted him.
“He maintains his denial and maintains his innocence. In that sense, we offer no mitigation in terms of knowledge, insight, regret or remorse.”
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Soole told Majek he had brought “devastation” to the Whyte family as he imposed a life sentence. “The evidence against you, in particular CCTV and DNA, was overwhelming,” he said.
