Sudanese migrant Deng Chol Majek seen ‘dancing and laughing’ after allegedly murdering Rhiannon Skye Whyte at Bescot Station whilst her friend heard ‘terrified screams’ on phone
A Sudanese asylum seeker was seen staring at a hotel worker “like he was planning something” hours before allegedly following her to a deserted railway platform and stabbing her 23 times, a murder trial jury has heard.
Deng Chol Majek, who claims to be 19, was captured on CCTV fixating on Rhiannon Skye Whyte, 27, as she handed out snacks at the Park Inn by Radisson hotel in Walsall on the evening of 20 October last year, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.
The mother-of-one died three days later without regaining consciousness after being left bleeding on the platform at Bescot Stadium station, with the majority of wounds to her head, including one that severed her brain stem.
Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC told jurors that Majek was seen “dancing and laughing, clearly excited about what he had done” after returning to the asylum hotel following the brutal attack.
‘It Was Like He Was Planning Something’
Louise Brittle, a chef at the Serco-run hotel where Majek had been staying for three months, broke down in tears as she described the defendant’s disturbing behaviour hours before the killing.
“He was just staring through us, eyes wide open,” Ms Brittle told the court. “It was like he was planning something. That’s the only way I can describe it. It was really scary. It was like he was going to do something that night. That’s how it felt. That’s how scared I felt.”
Claire Taylor-Bevans, another colleague working at the bar that evening, said Majek had been staring “spookily” at the three women. “He was staring at all three of us behind the bar, spookily. Like through us – as though we weren’t there. I felt intimidated,” she testified.
Mrs Taylor-Bevans told the court she reported the resident to the hotel’s security team, asking them to “keep an eye” on the Sudan national before calling her two female colleagues away from the bar area.
CCTV footage shown to jurors captured Majek barging into Rhiannon, prompting her to ask: “What the f***?” The court heard that whilst no one could recall any particular issue that would have caused him to act aggressively, there had been “an issue about some broken biscuits.”
Stalked to Her Death
The prosecution alleges Majek, who lived in room 309 of the hotel, waited for Rhiannon to finish her 11pm shift before following her to the railway station. CCTV evidence shows him “hanging around” the reception area throughout the evening, changing into a distinctive jacket and sandals before tracking his victim.
“He had been hanging around waiting for her to leave and waited until she was on her own before he followed her,” Ms Heeley told the court.
At 11.04pm, Rhiannon called her friend Emma Cowley and was seen on CCTV at 11.08pm, with Majek captured two minutes later. He then “closed the gap” to 90 seconds and then 30 seconds as she reached the deserted platform at 11.13pm.
Ms Cowley, in a video-recorded police interview played to the court, described hearing her friend’s final moments: “I just remember there was silence and she’s not one to just go silent. So I was like ‘Rhiannon, are you still there?’ and originally I didn’t hear anything and then I heard a scream. It was a really high-pitched, terrified, in-pain scream.”
The witness said she heard three screams before the phone went dead at 11.19pm, describing them as “awful” and “terrified” – like “an unexpected thing where someone creeps up on you.”
Brutal Attack with Screwdriver
The prosecution alleges Majek used a screwdriver to inflict 23 stab wounds on his victim, with 11 wounds piercing her skull. Ms Heeley told jurors: “He followed her down on to the train platform at the Bescot Stadium station and then he attacked her. Stabbing her over and over again with a screwdriver. He left her bleeding to death and then casually went back to his hotel.”
Shortly after the attack, CCTV footage allegedly shows Majek running back up the stairs from the platform with an illuminated object in his hand – Rhiannon’s mobile phone, which he later threw into the River Tame where police divers recovered it.
The train Rhiannon had been due to catch pulled in at 11.24pm, with the driver spotting a figure slumped on the platform. Despite efforts by the train guard and a hotel employee sent to the scene, she was too seriously injured to be saved.
“She passed away on October 23, having never regained consciousness,” Ms Heeley told the court.
DNA Evidence Links Suspect
The prosecution presented forensic evidence allegedly linking Majek to the murder. “The defendant’s fingernails were checked, he had DNA under them – the DNA belonged to Rhiannon Whyte,” Ms Heeley stated. “His clothes have her blood on, his fingernails have her DNA under them. She had injuries from where she tried to defend herself.”
The court heard Majek did not go straight back to the hotel after the attack, instead stopping at a local shop to buy a drink before arriving back at 12.13am. “Once at the hotel he was seen dancing and laughing, clearly excited about what he had done,” the prosecutor said.
Majek, who requires an Arabic interpreter, remained silent during police interviews. His defence claims it was not him who murdered Rhiannon, although he accepts being at the hotel that night. Defence barrister Gurdeep Garcha KC has indicated the basis of the defence case is identification.
Victim Was ‘Most Loved Daughter’
Rhiannon had worked at the Park Inn hotel for about three months, helping with cleaning and serving food to asylum seekers housed there. The hotel, located on Bescot Crescent just off the M6 motorway and a five-minute walk from Bescot Stadium station, had been block-booked to accommodate migrants.
In a statement issued through police shortly after her death, Rhiannon’s family described her as “the most loved daughter, compassionate sister, loving auntie, gracious granddaughter, beautiful niece, wonderful cousin and devoted friend.”
They added: “The most selfless person, you were brave, quirky, funny and always there for anyone who needed it.”
Trial Continues
Majek, formerly of Bescot Crescent in Walsall, denies murder and possessing a screwdriver as an offensive weapon. He appeared via video link from HMP Manchester for earlier hearings but is attending the trial in person at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
The prosecution told jurors: “The prosecution say you can be sure that it was this defendant who murdered Rhiannon Whyte. He is seen clearly on the CCTV staring at Rhiannon. This defendant has no answer to the prosecution case and you can be sure that he is guilty.”
The trial, being presided over by Justice Michael Soole KC, is expected to last three weeks.
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