Strawberry Hill Station Murder: Killer Who Boasted of Stabbing Faces Jail

A man convicted of murdering a 21-year-old student on railway tracks in south-west London is now awaiting sentencing after a jury found him guilty at court.

Dino Donaldson was convicted at the Old Bailey on Tuesday following a unanimous verdict. The 21-year-old, from Caxton Road in Ealing, has been remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing.

The court heard how Anojan Gnaneswaran was attacked at Strawberry Hill railway station on 8 January 2024. The violence followed a dispute between two groups over a drug deal, reportedly involving £50 for MDMA tablets.

During the incident, Donaldson pushed Gnaneswaran onto the tracks before stabbing him multiple times in the chest, abdomen and thigh. Emergency services attended, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jurors were told that less than an hour after the attack, Donaldson was captured on CCTV aboard an N87 night bus, where he appeared relaxed, smiling and laughing.

Further footage played in court included a doorbell camera recording in which Donaldson was heard recounting the attack.

"I stabbed him through the back bro, I stabbed him fully. I watched it and I felt it go in him..."

Police arrested Donaldson three days later, on 11 January, at his home in west London, where he was found hiding inside a cupboard. A search of the property uncovered 74 wraps of crack cocaine and heroin, with an estimated street value exceeding £1,000.

Investigators from British Transport Police led the case, describing the killing as a senseless escalation of violence stemming from a minor dispute.

Paul Attwell, Det Ch Insp at British Transport Police, said:

"What started as an argument over a drug deal ended in a young man's life being cut short by a remorseless thug. 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."

Donaldson will be sentenced at a later date.

Image: Metropolitan Police