Dino Donaldson, 22, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years for the murder of 21-year-old accounting student Anojan Gnaneswaran. The fatal stabbing occurred in January 2024 at Strawberry Hill station in Twickenham, south-west London.
Donaldson followed Mr. Gnaneswaran onto the railway tracks and stabbed him in the chest after an argument escalated. The initial confrontation involved two groups of men and was reportedly over a drug deal involving £50 for 10 MDMA tablets. Mr. Gnaneswaran, who studied accounting and finance and held a black belt in karate, died at the scene.
Less than an hour after the murder, Donaldson was captured on CCTV on a night bus, smiling and laughing. Audio from a doorbell camera recorded him boasting about the stabbing, saying, "I stabbed him through the back bro, I stabbed him fully. I watched it and I felt it go in him, yeah."
Police arrested Donaldson three days after the attack; he was found hiding in a cupboard at his home. Officers also discovered 74 wraps of crack and heroin in his bedroom, with a street value exceeding £1,000. At the time of the attack, Donaldson was 19 years old.
In April, Donaldson was found guilty of murder in a retrial at the Old Bailey. On Friday, Judge Angela Rafferty KC stated that the encounter began with an "unpleasant interaction" that rapidly devolved into "violent chaos." She described the killing as "savage and merciless" and noted that Mr. Gnaneswaran was on the ground when stabbed a second time.
Mitigating, Donaldson's barrister mentioned his client's "significant history of substantial trauma." Statements from Mr. Gnaneswaran's family were read in court. His brother, Ashvin, recounted performing CPR on him, and his father, Nesar Gnaneswaran, described his eldest son as academically gifted and talented in sports. "Our family will never be the same," his father stated.
Donaldson had a prior conviction for possession of a knife in 2025 and had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess class A drugs, related to the ecstasy tablets purchase from the victim. This charge resulted in a six-month concurrent sentence.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Attwell of British Transport Police commented, "What started as an argument over a drug deal ended in a young man's future being stolen from him by a remorseless criminal." He added, "Donaldson showed his true colours as a coward by arming himself with a knife that night. His cowardice has continued by never accepting responsibility and admitting his crime – thankfully the jury saw through his lies."