Mother says police guided family statements after daughter's killing by asylum seeker

The mother of Rhiannon Whyte, a 27-year-old hotel worker, said police encouraged her family to adjust public statements after her daughter was killed to prevent anti-immigration unrest. Siobhan Whyte stated that officers raised concerns about avoiding "another Southport" when they learned life support would be withdrawn.

the case Sudanese national Deng Majek, 28, attacked Rhiannon Whyte with a screwdriver at a train station in October 2024, stabbing her 23 times. Majek received a 29-year prison sentence in January. Police evacuated migrants from the Park Inn Hotel where Majek had been housed within two hours of learning life support would end.

The killing occurred three months after the Southport stabbings that led to widespread disorder.

Mother's later statements Ms Whyte first addressed Majek's arrival in Britain after the sentencing. She said he reached the UK by small boat three months before the attack. She expressed gratitude for police support after the death but also said she felt her daughter's case received less attention because an asylum seeker was involved.

Ms Whyte noted that another family met with government officials after a similar killing, while she had not.