Asylum seeker who violently murdered hotel worker appeared 'bored' during trial

An asylum seeker has been found guilty of murdering a hotel worker at a train station in the West Midlands.

Deng Chol Majek was caught on CCTV following Rhiannon Skye Whyte from the Park Inn hotel, in Walsall, where he lived and she worked, to the nearby Bescot Stadium station. She was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver 19 times, and 23 times in total, on 20 October last year.

Majek, who is from Sudan and claims to be 19 years old, had told Wolverhampton Crown Court he was at the hotel for asylum seekers at the time the 27-year-old was attacked. A two-week trial heard that Majek had previously been reported to security at the hotel after "spookily" staring at three female staff members for prolonged periods.

Ms Whyte died in hospital three days after the attack, having been found injured in a shelter on the platform by the driver and guard of a train which pulled in about five minutes later. Majek, who is about ten inches taller than Ms Whyte, walked to the Caldmore Green area of Walsall after the attack to buy beer, and was recorded on CCTV apparently wiping blood from his trousers.

Read more from Sky News:Man who danced naked after murdering couple jailedManhunt for Epping hotel asylum seeker He 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. Asked by defence KC Gurdeep Garcha if he was at the train station when Ms Whyte was stabbed, Majek replied: "No." He also denied being "responsible for that fatal assault" on the platform.

Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC said of Majek's behaviour after the murder: "He is celebrating, his mood has changed from that prolonged scowl before the murder to dancing and joy after the murder. It is utterly callous." Majek said he had spent time in Libya, Italy and Germany before arriving in the UK to claim asylum in July last year.

Mr Justice Soole remanded Majek in custody and ordered a pre-sentence report, and an age assessment report, to be prepared on the defendant. He will be sentenced on 15 December, when victim personal statements are expected to be read to the court.

Addressing relatives of Ms Whyte sitting in the public gallery, the judge said: "No one sitting in this court can have failed to be struck by the quiet dignity that you have all shown through this most demanding 10 days in this court. "It is unimaginable for those who have not had to go through that.

I thank you and admire you for it." 'Shocking' lack of remorse Giving a statement outside court, Detective Chief Inspector Paul Attwell, of British Transport Police, said Majek had shown no remorse since the murder. DCI Attwell added: "It was a brutal, cowardly and unprovoked attack on a vibrant, selfless young woman who had her whole life ahead of her.

"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. "In fact, he has appeared completely unbothered - bored even - throughout this trial, much to the distress of Rhiannon's poor family, who have had to face her killer in court every day.

"I would like to pay tribute to Rhiannon's family for the unbelievable strength and dignity they have shown in the most horrific of circumstances - and for their unwavering support given during the investigation and the court proceedings which followed. "I have no doubt in my mind that Rhiannon would be immensely proud of them all." 'She was always happy' Rhiannon's sister, Alex Whyte, said her sibling "always wanted to make everyone else around her happy".

She said: "No matter what her day had been, she always wanted to make everyone else around her happy. She always prioritised family.

That was the most important thing to Rhiannon. Obviously, she has a brother and three sisters.

And my mum, who was her best friend. "Rhiannon is the second youngest.

But our baby sister would always say 'I'm your big little sister', because Rhiannon was very soft. "So, no matter what, we always wanted to protect her.

That was our priority most of our life, because Rhiannon never saw danger - Rhiannon never understood how scary the world really could be. "But no matter what Rhiannon was just happy, always." 'Unimaginable pain' She added: "I am raising Rhiannon's son, and I cannot express the unimaginable pain of having to sit down and explain to a five-year-old that the one person who loves him more than anything will not be coming home.

"The screams of pain from this beautiful little boy will haunt me for the rest of my life, but we will never let Majek haunt him. This child should never have had to experience the pain and misery that he has caused.".