Sudanese Asylum Seeker ‘Danced and Laughed’ After Fatally Stabbing Hotel Worker 23 Times, Court Hears

A murder trial has heard that a Sudanese asylum seeker was seen dancing and laughing after brutally stabbing a young hotel worker 23 times and leaving her for dead.

The accused, Deng Chol Majek, who claims to be 19, is on trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court for the murder of 27-year-old Rhiannon Skye Whyte in Walsall, West Midlands.

According to prosecutors, the attack took place on the night of October 20 last year at Bescot Stadium train station, shortly after Ms. Whyte had finished her shift at the Park Inn hotel  a site being used at the time to house asylum seekers, including Majek.

Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC told the jury that Majek followed Ms. Whyte after she left work at around 11pm. CCTV footage allegedly captured him waiting around the hotel lobby, watching her throughout the evening, before trailing her through the streets and down to the station platform.

Ms. Whyte, who was on the phone with a friend at the time, could be heard screaming before the call suddenly went silent. Moments later, she was found by a train guard lying critically injured on the platform.

In total, she suffered 23 stab wounds 11 of which penetrated her skull. One of the blows damaged her brain stem, causing irreversible injuries that led to her death three days later in hospital.

Prosecutors say Majek then fled the scene, throwing Ms. Whyte’s phone into a nearby river before stopping at a local shop to buy a drink. He was later seen on CCTV “dancing and laughing” after returning to his hotel, appearing “clearly excited about what he had done.”

Ms. Whyte had been working at the hotel for around three months, helping with cleaning and food service. Colleagues told investigators that Majek had been staring at her earlier that evening but said there had been no confrontation or argument between them.

Prosecutor Heeley told the court:

“He followed her down to the platform 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. We say you can be sure he is guilty of murder.”

After Ms. Whyte’s friend heard the screams and the line went dead, she immediately alerted police. Officers contacted the hotel, and staff rushed to the station, where they and a train guard tried desperately to save Ms. Whyte’s life.

Majek has denied murder and possession of a screwdriver as an offensive weapon. The trial is ongoing.