Dino Donaldson jailed for life for stabbing student at Strawberry Hill station
Dino Donaldson, 21, was convicted of murdering Anojan Gnaneswaran at a west London train station after a drug deal dispute. He was caught laughing on a bus within an hour of the killing.
Killer sentenced to minimum 23 years for fatal stabbing at west London station
A 21-year-old man has been jailed for life after stabbing a university student to death at Strawberry Hill station in west London, the Evening Standard reports.
Dino Donaldson, of Caxton Road in Ealing, was found guilty of murder on 14 April following a trial at the Old Bailey. A judge handed him a minimum 23-year sentence.
A drug deal that turned deadly
The court heard that two groups of young men had arranged to meet at the station on the evening of 8 January 2024 to exchange £50 for ten MDMA tablets. Donaldson arrived with three others just after 10pm; 21-year-old Anojan Gnaneswaran arrived roughly an hour later with his own group.
A disagreement broke out between the two parties. Gnaneswaran called his brother, who arrived shortly after with two others. The argument continued on the station platform, where Donaldson became increasingly aggressive and produced a long knife from his waistband.
He chased the group before launching an attack on Gnaneswaran, stabbing him in the chest, abdomen, and thigh. Emergency services were called by Gnaneswaran's brother, but despite efforts from both his brother and paramedics, Gnaneswaran was pronounced dead at the scene.
Laughter on the night bus
CCTV footage captured Donaldson laughing on the N87 night bus less than an hour after the victim was pronounced dead. A separate audio clip, recorded on a Ring doorbell, captured him recounting the attack in his own words.
"I stabbed man in his back though," he can be heard saying. "I stabbed him through the back, bruv, I stabbed him fully. I watched it and I felt it going in him."
British Transport Police recovered the knife and a black glove from a tree at the murder scene. Three days later, on 11 January 2024, officers executed an arrest warrant at Donaldson's home address, where he was found hiding in a cupboard.
'Savage and merciless killing'
At sentencing, the judge acknowledged the "terrible things" that had happened to Donaldson during his life, but condemned what she described as a "savage and merciless killing." She noted that Donaldson had accepted "no responsibility" for the murder and that the impact on Gnaneswaran's family had been "profound and lifelong."
BTP Detective Chief Inspector Paul Attwell said the case began as a dispute over a drug deal and ended with a young man's future being taken from him. "Donaldson showed his true colours as a coward by arming himself with a knife that night," Attwell said. "His cowardice has continued by never accepting responsibility and admitting his crime — thankfully the jury saw through his lies."
Attwell added that Donaldson "deserves every minute of his 23-year minimum sentence" and paid tribute to Gnaneswaran's family for the "strength, dignity and patience they've shown throughout this case."
'Excited for his future'
In a tribute issued previously, Gnaneswaran's family described him as a "much-loved son and brother." He had been in his third year at university studying accounting and finance.
"He excelled at all sports and had achieved first-dan black belt in karate — he competed in the World and European championships in karate, and we will all miss him so much," the family said.
Source: Evening Standard