Watch: CCTV footage shows chilling moments before and after Walsall hotel worker was killed
CCTV footage has shown the moments before and after a Walsall hotel worker was killed.
Video footage, released by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and shown in Wolverhampton Crown Court today, has shown the minutes prior to Rhiannon Skye Whyte being attacked.
Rhiannon, who was 27 at the time of the attack, was stabbed 23 times with a screwdriver at Bescot Stadium railway station, in Walsall, on October 20, 2024, before dying in hospital three days later.
Deng Chol Majek, who claims to be 19, from Sudan, is on trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court charged with the murder of Rhiannon.
In the CCTV footage, Rhiannon can be seen walking towards the Bescot Stadium train station platform while talking on the phone to her friend. Unbeknownst to Rhiannon, her assailant can be seen stalking her from a distance.
The assailant can then be seen following her onto the platform.
The CCTV footage then shows the moment after the attack, with the assailant reappearing on camera; this time, carrying a phone that was found to belong to Rhiannon.
Moments later, the footage shows the assailant walking near a canal bridge holding the device, before throwing it into the water.
The jury today was told that Rhiannon had worked at the hotel for around three months, helping with things including cleaning and serving food.
Opening the Crown's case against Majek, prosecution, KC Michelle Heeley, told the court: "What is clear from the CCTV is that the defendant was hanging around the reception area, staring at Rhiannon throughout the evening. He changed into a distinctive jacket and sandals and then waited around the reception area where Rhiannon was.
“CCTV tracks the defendant all the way. He followed her from the hotel to the station.
“He had been hanging around waiting for her to leave and waited until she was on her own before he followed her.”
Ms Heeley added: “It was then that the prosecution said that this defendant attacked her. Rhiannon had been talking to her friend.
“But it went silent before (the friend) heard a scream, then another scream. The phone went dead at 11.19pm.
“Shortly after that, this defendant could be seen running back up the stairs from the platform. He had an object lit up in his hand – that was Rhiannon’s mobile phone.”
It was said that Rhiannon’s friend, having heard screams while on the call, called the police, who contacted the hotel, which sent one of their employees to the station.
Ms Heeley continued: "The guard tried to help Rhiannon, as did the employee who had come from the hotel. But sadly, she was too seriously injured and nothing could be done to save her. She passed away on October 23, having never regained consciousness.
“The defendant did not go straight back to the hotel; he went to a local shop and bought himself a drink first, arriving back in the hotel at 13 minutes past midnight.
“In between the station and the hotel, he had thrown Rhiannon’s phone into a river. Once at the hotel, he was seen dancing and laughing, clearly excited about what he had done.”
Majek denies murder and possessing a screwdriver as an offensive weapon. The trial continues.
