An asylum seeker was seen ‘laughing and dancing’ in excitement after fatally stabbing a British woman who worked at the migrant hotel where he was living, a court has heard.
Sudanese national Deng Chol Majek, who claims he is 19, allegedly launched a ‘frenzied attack’ on Rhiannon Whyte as she commuted home from the Park Inn Hotel in Walsall.
He is alleged to have followed the 27-year-old to a deserted platform at Bescott station, where he stabbed her 23 times with a screwdriver as she waited to catch a late train on October 20 last year.
Ms Whyte had been on the phone to a friend, who heard two screams as she was struck ‘over and over again’ at 11.13pm. The line went dead shortly afterwards.
She was found by a train driver slumped on the platform 11 minutes later, but was too seriously injured to be saved and died surrounded by family on October 23.
Opening the case against Majek at Wolverhampton Crown Court today, prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC said: ‘He left her bleeding to death and then casually went back to his hotel.’
The defendant was allegedly seen on CCTV running back up the stairs from the platform holding an object lit up in his hand, which the prosecution said was Ms Whyte’s phone.
Ms Heeley continued: ‘The defendant did not go straight back to the hotel, he went to a local shop and bought himself a drink first, arriving back in the hotel at 12.13am.
‘In between the station and the hotel he had thrown Rhiannon’s phone into a river, police later recovered it.
‘Once at the hotel he was seen dancing and laughing, clearly excited about what he had done.’
CCTV showed him returning to the hotel carrying a black plastic bag which the prosecutor said contained some alcohol.
Majek denies murdering Ms Whyte and a second charge of possessing a screwdriver in a public place.
Ms Heeley told the jury the defendant’s movements that night were captured on CCTV, a compilation of which was played to the court today.
Ms Whyte’s family, who were sitting in the public gallery, wiped away tears as they watched the footage.
The prosecutor said the relevant footage started in the hotel reception where Majek was seen ‘staring at Rhiannon throughout the evening’.
‘No one could recall any particular issue that would have caused him to act in that way,’ she said.
‘There had been an issue about some broken biscuits with some of the residents but nothing serious.’
When Ms Whyte left the hotel at 11pm, Majek was said to be ‘lurking outside reception’. He allegedly followed her and the prosecution claimed he was seen entering the train car park 90 seconds behind her.
By the time she walked over a bridge separating the platforms, this gap had closed to just 30 seconds, Ms Heeley said. She was alone when she reached the platform.
‘It was then that the prosecution say this defendant attacked her,’ Ms Heeley said.
‘Rhiannon had been talking to her friend, Emma. It then went silent and Emma heard a scream, then another scream and the phone went dead at 11.19pm.’
Ms Whyte was stabbed 23 times, including 11 stab wounds which penetrated her skull – one of which damaged her brain steam and ultimately caused her death.
Police were ‘very quickly’ able to trace the defendant because he was wearing ‘very distinctive clothing’ and made an arrest shortly afterwards at the hotel, Ms Heeley said.
They found him in possession of clothes including the jacket the attacker from the CCTV could be seen wearing, as well as jewellery and a pair of sandals, all of which were found to have Ms Whyte’s blood on them, the court heard.
Ms Whyte’s DNA was found underneath the fingernails of the defendant, the jury were told. He is alleged to have disposed of both the screwdriver and Ms Whyte’s phone before returning to the hotel.
The defendant was said to accept he was at the hotel that night, but claims the issue is one of misidentification.
The prosecutor said that Ms Whyte had worked at the hotel for around three months, where she helped ‘with all manner of things including cleaning and serving food’.
Majek lived at the hotel, which had ‘been turned into a hotel for asylum seekers’.
‘He also claimed to be 18 (at the time), but there are doubts about that,’ Ms Heeley said.
The trial continues.
