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

Deng Chol Majek, 18, who is accused of murdering 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 October 23, three days after she was attacked at Bescot Stadium station in Walsall.

Mr Majek, who the BBC understands is an asylum seeker, was staying at the Park Inn hotel in Bescot Crescent, Walsall, where he had been working.

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 has been upgraded to murder.

On Thursday, Charlie Crinon, defending, said Mr Majek 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 continue the case as if the defendant contested 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 court date this morning.”

Mr. Majek was remanded in custody and a new hearing was set for December 13.

In a statement after her death, Ms Whyte’s family, who were by her side when she died, said she was “selfless” and “brave” and “always there for anyone who needed it”.

A trial is due to begin in April 2025.

Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC said it should take between five and seven days.