Unprovoked Attack at Railway Station

A United Kingdom court has found Deng Chol Majek, a Sudanese asylum seeker, guilty of the murder of 27-year-old Rhiannon Skye Whyte. The verdict was delivered on Friday, October 24, 2025, at Wolverhampton Crown Court after a two-week trial. Jurors deliberated for just over two hours before reaching a unanimous decision, also convicting Majek of possessing an offensive weapon.

The attack occurred late on the night of Sunday, October 20, 2024, at the Bescot Stadium railway station in Walsall, West Midlands. Ms. Whyte, a mother to a five-year-old son, had just finished her shift at the nearby Park Inn hotel, which was being used to house asylum seekers, including her attacker. Majek, who claimed to be 19 years old, followed Ms. Whyte from the hotel to the deserted train platform.

A 'Vicious and Frenzied' Assault

The prosecution detailed what they described as a "vicious and frenzied" attack, during which Majek stabbed Ms. Whyte 23 times with a screwdriver. Eleven of the wounds penetrated her skull, causing a fatal brain stem injury. A friend who was on the phone with Ms. Whyte at the time of the assault told the court she heard a "high-pitched, terrified, in-pain scream" before the line went silent. Ms. Whyte was discovered by the crew of a train that pulled into the station minutes later and died in hospital three days later, on October 23, 2024, without regaining consciousness.

While no clear motive for the murder was established during the trial, colleagues of Ms. Whyte testified that Majek had been staring at female staff members for prolonged periods on the day of the attack, making them feel uncomfortable. He was also seen on CCTV deliberately brushing past Ms. Whyte at the hotel entrance shortly before she left.

Overwhelming Evidence and Callous Aftermath

Despite Majek's denial, the evidence against him was overwhelming. Prosecutors presented extensive CCTV footage that tracked his movements as he followed Ms. Whyte, left the station after the attack, and threw her mobile phone into the River Tame. Crucially, Ms. Whyte's DNA was found under Majek's fingernails, and her blood was discovered on his jacket and sandals seized by police. In her closing speech, prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC called Majek's denial in the face of the evidence "laughable."

In what the Crown Prosecution Service described as an act of callousness, Majek was captured on camera after the murder appearing to celebrate. Footage showed him buying beer, and later laughing and dancing with other residents in the hotel car park, with the blue lights of emergency vehicles visible at the nearby station in the background. A housing officer told the court Majek, who had seemed moody before the attack, appeared "happier than before" and "back to himself" afterwards.

Global Context: Asylum and Crime

The case has drawn attention in the UK to the broader issues surrounding the country's asylum system. Majek, a Sudanese national, told the court he had left his home country in April 2022 and travelled through Libya, Italy, and Germany before arriving in the UK in July 2024, reportedly via a small boat. There was also a dispute over his age; he claimed to be 19, but German authorities had previously recorded his date of birth as making him 27. While this case involves a single individual, it feeds into a wider, often contentious, public and political debate in the UK and Europe about immigration, security vetting, and the management of asylum claims. For nations globally, including Kenya, which hosts a significant refugee population, such high-profile cases in other countries serve as a critical point of analysis for policy-making regarding the integration, monitoring, and support systems for asylum seekers and refugees. No direct link between this case and Kenya has been established. Majek is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, December 15, 2025.