Man accused of stabbing refuses to appear at court

Hotel worker Rhiannon Skye Whyte, 27, was attacked at Bescot Stadium Station on 20 October

A man charged with murder after a woman was stabbed at a railway station has refused to appear at court.

Deng Chol Majek, 18, who is accused of killing Rhiannon Skye Whyte, failed to appear to enter pleas at Wolverhampton Crown Court, via videolink from HMP Manchester.

Ms Whyte, 27, died in hospital on 23 October, three days after she was attacked at Bescot Stadium station in Walsall.

Mr Majek, who the BBC understands is an asylum seeker, had been staying at the Park Inn Hotel in Bescot Crescent, Walsall, where she had worked.

The 18-year-old, who is from South Sudan, was initially charged with attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon, but since Ms Whyte's death the first charge was upgraded to murder.

British Transport Police vans at the scene of the incident

On Thursday, Charlie Crinon, defending, said Mr Majek had refused to speak to him through an interpreter before the hearing, because he did not know who he was.

Judge Michael Chambers KC said he would proceed with the case as if the defendant would be contesting the charges.

"It is important that you have a proper conference and that, like any defendant, he has full confidence in his representation," he told Mr Crinon.

"I am not in a position to give a trial date this morning."

Mr Majek was remanded in custody, with a further hearing set for 13 December.

In a statement after her death, Ms Whyte's family, who were with her when she died, said she was "selfless" and "brave" and "always there for anyone who needed it".

A trial is due to start in April 2025.

Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC said it was expected to last between five and seven days.