A Sudanese asylum seeker, Deng Chol Majek, has been convicted of the murder of a hotel worker at a railway station platform. The victim, Ms. Whyte, was fatally stabbed in the head 23 times on October 20 last year while waiting for a train home after work. CCTV footage presented during the trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court showed Majek intentionally interacting with Ms. Whyte at the hotel entrance before following her to the station and then leaving the platform. Witnesses reported seeing Majek in a seemingly cheerful mood with friends near the hotel after the incident.
Despite denying the charges of murder and possession of a screwdriver, Majek’s claims were refuted during the trial. He insisted on being outside the hotel at the time of the attack, attributing discrepancies in his age to a mistake in his identification documents. The court proceedings were facilitated by a Sudanese Arabic interpreter.
In a statement following the verdict, Senior Investigator DCI Paul Attwell described the attack as “brutal, cowardly, and entirely unprovoked.” He highlighted the lack of remorse shown by Majek and expressed sympathy for the victim’s family, emphasizing their strength and dignity throughout the ordeal. Remembering Ms. Whyte for her vibrant life, Attwell emphasized the importance of honoring her memory rather than focusing on the perpetrator.
