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An "utterly callous" asylum seeker caught on camera dancing and laughing moments after stabbing a hotel worker 23 times on a railway platform has been convicted of murder. Deng Chol Majek, who is understood to have arrived in the UK by small boat fewer than three months before launching the savage attack on Rhiannon Whyte, displayed no emotion in the dock as the guilty verdict was delivered. Jurors at Wolverhampton Crown Court took just two hours and five minutes on Friday to unanimously find Majek guilty of murder and possession of a screwdriver as an offensive weapon. The fortnight-long trial was told that Majek had been flagged to security staff at the Park Inn hotel in Walsall, West Midlands, where he was housed and Rhiannon was employed, after "spookily" staring at three female colleagues for extended periods on 20 October last year. Rhiannon clocked off at 11pm and was then "tracked" on foot by Majek to nearby Bescot Stadium station, where he inflicted 19 wounds to her head, including a fatal injury to her brain stem. CCTV footage shown during Majek's trial revealed he vanished from view onto a deserted platform for 90 seconds at around 11.18pm to carry out the attack on Ms Whyte, 27, the mum of a five year old son. She passed away in hospital three days later, having been discovered injured in a shelter on the platform by the driver and guard of a train which arrived approximately five minutes afterwards. Speaking outside court, one of Rhiannon Whyte's three sisters, Alex Whyte, described her sibling as someone with "a beautiful and bright future" who was smart, kind, funny, caring and hardworking. She said: "On Sunday the 20th October 2024, my family were handed a life sentence when Deng Chol Majek launched a frenzied and unprovoked attack on Rhiannon for no apparent reason whatsoever. "There is no end to the pain or suffering we've had to endure or continue to experience. "On that horrific day, our precious Rhiannon was shown no mercy. Throughout this trial we have been given no reason as to why he chose Rhiannon, no accountability for his actions and no remorse. "She fought for her life and to save herself from this sick, twisted and cowardly human – who showed no regard for Rhiannon or human life." The trial heard no motive was given for the brutal killing, but Majek, who is originally from Sudan, had brushed past Ms Whyte earlier that evening as he stepped outside the hotel for a cigarette. He is alleged to have lied to the court about his age, insisting he was 19 despite authorities recording a date of birth making him 27 during a failed asylum claim in Germany. Majek, who at 6ft 3in towered about 10 inches above Ms Whyte, made his way to the Caldmore Green area of Walsall following the attack to purchase beer and was captured on CCTV apparently cleaning blood from his trousers. He returned to the hotel at 12.13am, swapped his blood-soaked flip-flops for trainers and was spotted dancing with other residents in the car park, within view of emergency vehicles summoned to the station. A housing officer stationed at the hotel informed jurors that Majek "almost seemed sad" prior to Ms Whyte being stabbed, and appeared to be "back to himself" after she was rushed to hospital. In her final address to the jury, prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC labelled Majek's dismissal of DNA evidence and his denial of being the man clearly captured on CCTV wearing a distinctive jacket and flip-flops as "laughable", and an affront to Ms Whyte's relatives listening from the public gallery. Ms Heeley commented on Majek's behaviour post-murder: "He is celebrating, his mood has shifted from that prolonged scowl in the cafe before the murder to dancing and joy after the murder. "It is utterly callous." Speaking in a pooled interview, Ms Whyte's family described the year since her death as "hell on earth", but they remain committed to preserving the memory of their quirky and caring loved one who "would always put everyone else before herself". They also shared the agony of having to inform her young son about her death. Ms Whyte's sister Alex spoke of the resilience shown by her siblings, mother and extended 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." Senior Crown Prosecutor Carla Harris from the Crown Prosecution Service stated: "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." Trial judge Mr Justice Soole postponed sentencing until 15 December, stating it would be necessary to verify the defendant's age before deciding the minimum term he must serve. The judge, who was informed the defendant would need to consent to age-verification tests, told the jury: "The sentencing will have to be postponed. Your task is now over." Defence KC Gurdeep Garcha then addressed the court: "I respectfully agree that your assessment of the defendant's age has a direct bearing on his overall culpability and therefore the minimum term. "It seems to us the prosecution ought to set that process in train." Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Attwell, of British Transport Police, gave a statement outside court expressing his shock at Majek's lack of remorse for the murder of Ms Whyte. The senior investigating officer stated: "First and foremost, my thoughts are with Rhiannon's family and friends, who despite today's guilty verdicts, have already been handed a lifetime's sentence following her murder." Mr Attwell added that officers may never understand the motive behind the "savage" killing, describing it as a "It was a brutal, cowardly and unprovoked attack on a vibrant, selfless young woman who had her whole life ahead of her." He concluded by saying: "It is truly shocking to me that at no point has Majek ever shown any remorse for taking Rhiannon's life in such a violent and cold-blooded way." Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
