Asylum seeker found guily of murdering migrant hotel worker in horror stabbing

An asylum seeker who was accused of murdering a hotel worker in a stabbing at a railway station has been found guilty by a jury. Jurors were sent out on Friday after hearing two weeks of evidence, speeches and summing up in the trial of Deng Chol Majek, who denied the murder of Rhiannon Whyte and possession of a screwdriver as an offensive weapon.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Ms Whyte was stabbed 23 times on a platform at Walsall's Bescot Stadium station on October 20 last year. She died of her injuries in hospital three days later. Majek was after the stabbing. Prosecutors alleged DNA evidence and CCTV footage proved Majek was Ms Whyte's attacker and that he also visited a shop to buy beer shortly after the late-night attack. Majek told the court he was at Walsall's Park Inn hotel, where Ms Whyte worked and he lived, at the time she was stabbed and suffered a fatal brain stem injury.

Seven women and five men on the jury took just over two hours to reach the guilty verdict at the end of a two week long trial. Ms Whyte's family gasped with relief as the verdicts were read out. They are calling for Majek to be sentenced to life.

Majek is believed to have entered the UK by small boat less than three months before launching the frenzied attack. He showed no emotion in the dock as the verdict was returned.

Few details are known about Majek's journey from Africa to Walsall. He claimed to have left a pregnant wife behind in war-torn Sudan while fleeing from a soldier who wanted to marry his sister.

In her closing speech to the jury on Thursday, Michelle Heeley KC alleged that Majek had been "utterly callous" when he was seen dancing in a car park after Ms Whyte had been stabbed.

Addressing whether jurors could be sure Majek was the person who attacked Ms Whyte, Ms Heeley said: "You may think it's not really a difficult question. I suggest his answers to you are laughable. He is trying to meet the overwhelming evidence, and he has failed."

Defence barrister Gurdeep Garcha KC told the jury: "The only issue is, has the prosecution made you sure that he's the person that followed Rhiannon Whyte and inflicted those injuries upon her.

"There are very significant gaps in the prosecution evidence and given those gaps, the question for you is, and remains, can you be sure that he is the attacker in view of all the gaps and all the evidence that they don't have?"

Majek 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. At 6ft 3in, he was about 10 inches taller than Ms Whyte.

After the verdicts, Mr Justice Soole told the court it would be necessary to verify the defendant's age before deciding the minimum term he has to serve.

Mr Justice Soole, 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."

During the trial, the court heard Majek 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.

Ms Whyte's family 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 their heartache at having to break the news of her death to her son who is now six but was five-years-old when he was told his mummy wasn't coming home.

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 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."

Sentencing in the case is due to take place on December 15 when victim personal statements are expected to be read to the court.