Sudanese Man Jailed for Life After Murdering UK Hotel Worker

A Sudanese man was jailed for life on Jan. 30 for the murder of an English hotel worker whom prosecutors say was stalked and then stabbed to death with a screwdriver.

Rhiannon Whyte, 27, had been working at a hotel in Walsall, near Birmingham, which was used to house dozens of asylum seekers, including Deng Chol Majek.

Majek followed her after she left work at the Park Inn by Radisson at 11 p.m. local time on Oct. 20, 2024, and attacked her on the empty platform of nearby Bescot Stadium railway station, according to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service.

She was stabbed 23 times in the head, chest and arm. She did not regain consciousness and died in a hospital three days later.

The attack was not captured by security cameras in the area, but they did film Whyte going to the station and returning to the hotel, prosecutors said. While giving evidence, Majek denied that it was him in the camera footage.

Prosecutors said Majek took Whyte’s phone during the incident and later threw it into a river.

“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,” Crown Prosecution Service’s Carla Harris said in an Oct. 24 statement.

“Although the stabbing itself was not captured on CCTV, the prosecution case against Chol Majek included DNA evidence, witness testimony and CCTV showing him stalking Rhiannon to the station and returning to the hotel in his distinctive bloodied clothing. He was also the only person to enter and leave the platform during the time of the attack. All of this allowed the jury to convict him of his crimes.”

Gurdeep Garcha KC, a barrister representing Majek, told the hearing, “He maintains his denial and maintains his innocence. In that sense, we offer no mitigation in terms of knowledge, insight, regret or remorse.”

Age Assessment

Majek was convicted of murder in October, after a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court. Trial judge, Mr. Justice Soole, adjourned sentencing in December in a bid to clarify his age.

Majek had said he was 19 years old. A younger age would have potentially reduced the length of the minimum tariff the judge could impose.

“When in July 2024 you entered this country, you claimed you were born in Sudan in or about January 2006 and were thus 18,” Soole said. “However, in the course of your long journey from Sudan, you had passed through Italy, Germany and France; and your identification papers from Germany recorded your date of birth as 1 January 1998.”

Age assessments led to the judge sentencing him on the basis that he is 26 years old.

Soole said Majek had shown “no empathy for the victim” and had continued to deny murdering her despite the overwhelming evidence.

“You have provided the court with no explanation for your conduct nor any reliable basis to consider any suggested mitigating factors,” the judge said, as he passed sentence.

‘Chilling Composure’

“In my judgment your age and level of maturity provide no mitigation. The evidence shows a level of maturity which is consistent with your true age; and indeed a chilling composure in every aspect of your behaviour,” Soole said.

Whyte’s sister, Alex, read a victim impact statement to the court.

“I honestly feel that calling you demonic and inhuman is justifiable in the circumstances,” she said, addressing Majek. “You brutalized Rhiannon and then partied as if nothing had happened. You celebrated. You might as well have danced on her grave.”

Robert Jenrick, a Reform UK lawmaker and former government minister, said the attack was “as evil as it is tragic.”

“Her child will now grow up without her,” he wrote in a Jan. 30 post on X. “He should never walk the streets again.”

PA Media contributed to this report.