Jury sees alleged killer dance after Rhiannon Whyte’s death

The asylum seeker accused of murdering a Walsall hotel worker by stabbing her 23 times with a screwdriver on a train station platform was seen dancing on video after her death, jurors have heard.

Sudanese Deng Majek denies killing 27-year-old Rhiannon Whyte, who died three days after being attacked at Bescot Stadium railway station on October 20, 2024.

On Friday, jurors were shown mobile phone footage of Mr Majek dancing near the hotel with an ambulance in the background.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Ms Whyte was stabbed 19 times in the head, with 11 injuries to her skull and a wound deep enough to puncture her brainstem.

Cellphone video from someone at the Park Inn Hotel was said to show Mr. Majek dancing less than 90 minutes after the attack, the nine-second video jurors watched.

Images taken in the early hours of October 21 showed blue lights in the background.

Presenting the CCTV to jurors, Det. Sergeant Rebecca Haywood confirmed the blue lights came from emergency crews at the train station.

Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC asked where the speaker people were dancing to came from.

Det Sgt Haywood said: “The defendant brought this to the scene.”

Jurors were told on Thursday that Mr. Majek was seated. smoking and drinking In a car park with friends after Ms Whyte died.

Mr Majek, who claimed to be 19 years old, was living in the hotel where asylum seekers were housed.

He also denies possessing an offensive weapon.

Prosecutors alleged Mr Majek followed Ms Whyte from the hotel to the train station and attacked her, then threw her mobile phone into the river shortly after 23:15 BST and then went shopping for alcohol.

The jury saw footage from CCTV from inside and outside the hotel, as well as footage from cameras covering a car park, the River Tame bridge and the footbridge at the station.

The court heard security cameras covering the station’s platforms were not working.

Video shown to the court showed footage of a man said to be Mr Majek buying alcohol at a store in the Caldmore area of ​​Walsall, at a store in West Bromwich Street, and walking along other roads, including Broadway West and Alexandra Road.

The court heard Mr Majek bought three cans of extra-strength Belgian beer.

The material also included footage of a man said to be Mr Majek returning to the hotel at 00:13 and entering a third-floor room wearing flip-flops, leaving him in white sneakers.

Det Sgt Haywood claimed further footage of the suspect showed Ms Whyte’s phone being thrown off the bridge at 11.19pm.

He described the clothing the suspect was wearing at the time as “a two-tone gray jacket, dark torso, open sleeves, black cargo pants and flip-flops.”

Jurors saw footage showing Mr Majek following Ms Whyte through the station car park and across the footbridge.

According to the court hearing, Mr Majek entered Platform 2 at 23:17 and exited the bridge two minutes later at 23:19.

Prosecutor KC Michelle Heeley KC said the attack took place during this two-minute period.

A train driver found Ms Whyte collapsed inside the platform shelter after pulling into the station at 11.22pm.

The trial continues.