Deng Chol Majek brutally murdered Rhiannon Whyte, stabbing her 23 times with a screwdriver, at Bescot Stadium railway station.
A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment after he stabbed a mum 23 times with a screwdriver in a vicious frenzy. Deng Chol Majek was seen dancing and laughing after the horrific attack on Rhiannon Whyte, 27, on October 20, 2024.
Majek’s actions were described by police as as one of the worst murders they had ever seen. Rhiannon’s wounds included a fatal brain stem injury after the attack with a crosshead screwdriver – 19 of the wounds she sustained were to her head.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Attwell of the British Transport Police said Rhiannon, mum to a five-year-old son, “never stood a chance” in the attack by Majek who, at 6ft 3in, was about 10 inches taller than her.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Soole said Majek had shown “particularly vicious brutality” and that there were no mitigating circumstances. He was sentenced to a minimum term of 29 years in jail, including the time already spent in custody, reports the Mirror.
The attack happened at Bescot Stadium railway station in Walsall near to the Park Inn Hotel where Rhiannon worked. Majek was seen staring “spookily” at three female staff members for prolonged periods at the hotel earlier in the day.
Staff reported Majek to security as a result. However, he later “tracked” Rhiannon on foot to the station.
CCTV showed Majek disappeared from view onto a deserted platform for 90 seconds at about 11:18pm as he attacked Rhiannon.
About five minutes later, a train pulled into the station and the driver and guard found Rhiannon, injured in a shelter on the platform. She died in hospital three days later.
After the attack, Majek walked to the Caldmore Green area of Walsall to buy beer. He was recorded on CCTV and appeared to be wiping blood from his trousers.
Shortly after midnight, he returned to the hotel where he changed his bloodstained flip-flops for trainers. He was then seen dancing with other residents in the car park, within sight of emergency vehicles called to Rhiannon’s aid.
A housing officer based at the hotel told jurors Majek almost seemed sad before Rhiannon was stabbed and appeared to be “back to himself” after she was taken to hospital.
Majek, who claims he is only 19, is believed to have arrived in the UK on a small boat around three months before Rhiannon’s murder. He is known to have given authorities in Germany a date of birth that would mean he is now 28 and tests conducted after his trial confirmed he is over 21.
During the trial, Majek claimed he was not a figure caught on CCTV tracking Rhiannon and told jurors he left a pregnant wife behind in Sudan.
The only parts of his background presented to the jury that he agreed with were that he had no previous convictions or cautions recorded against him and that, in August 2023, he had been arrested in Kaiserslautern in Germany after kicking the door of a train.
No motive was presented during the trial for the killing but Majek had brushed past Rhiannon earlier in the evening as he left the hotel to smoke.
Speaking outside court after the trial, 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 her family “handed a life sentence” when Majek “launched a frenzied and unprovoked attack on Rhiannon for no apparent reason whatsoever”. Alex said Rhiannon was “shown no mercy” and scalded Majek for his apparent lack of remorse during the trial.
“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,” she said.
Alex had previously told ITV of the “scream” that left Alex’s child when she told her a “bad man had hurt her” will haunt her.
“He’s got the most amazing blue eyes that Rhiannon had, the way he laughs is exactly her laugh,” she said. “We are so lucky to have him because we’ve got a piece of her. We get to watch her grow all over again.”