Asylum seeker hotel worker, 27, ‘stabbed to death with screwdriver by teen’
A WOMAN working at a hotel for asylum seekers was allegedly stabbed to death by a teenager living there.
Rhiannon Skye Whyte, 27, was stabbed in the neck with a screwdriver at a railway station after leaving work.
She remained on a life support machine in hospital with her family by her side and died three days later.
Last night, her family paid tribute, calling her a “selfless person” who was “always there for anyone who needed it”.
An 18-year-old suspect was arrested shortly after the attack on Rhiannon late on Sunday night. It is understood a petty row over a packet of biscuits is said to have taken place at the hotel earlier.
The teenager arrived in the UK in July after crossing the Channel in a small boat. He had no documents and applied for asylum.
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He was housed at the Park Inn by Radisson Hotel, close to Walsall FC’s stadium in Bescot, West Mids, where Rhiannon worked.
Residents have all now been moved out of the hotel.
Hotels housing asylum seekers were the focal point for attacks during riots in the summer.
One source told The Sun: “No chances are being taken. Residents have been removed from the hotel where Rhiannon worked.”
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Police are asking any witnesses to come forward.
Rhiannon finished her shift at the four-star hotel at 11pm on Sunday. She was aiming to catch the 11.21pm train to Walsall, where she lived.
Police were called at 11.25pm by a member of the public who found her lying unconscious at Bescot Stadium train station.
She had been stabbed from behind in the back of the neck with a screwdriver. She died in hospital on Wednesday.
Rhiannon’s family said in a statement: “There is not enough paper in the world to even begin to write a tribute for you. We will love and miss you forever.”
Yesterday, floral tributes for Rhiannon were left tied to a fence near the station.
Deng Chol Majeck, 18, was remanded in custody at Walsall magistrates’ court on Tuesday and later charged with murder.