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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Matt Watts

Moment killer laughs on night bus after stabbing student to death in south London

Dino Donaldson, 21, was caught on CCTV on an N87 bus smiling and laughing - (ES composite)

This is the moment a murderer laughs on a night bus less than an hour after stabbing a university student to death on railways tracks in south London.

Dino Donaldson, 21, was caught on CCTV on an N87 bus smiling and laughing after killing Anojan Gnaneswaran, 21, at Strawberry Hill station in Twickenham.

He was also captured on the audio of a doorbell camera bragging: "I stabbed him through the back bro, I stabbed him fully. I watched it and I felt it go in him, yeah."

He stabbed his victim in the chest, abdomen and thigh after chasing him onto the tracks on January 8, 2024.

A fight had broken out on the station platform between two groups of men over a drug deal to pay £50 for 10 MDMA tablets.

Mr Gnaneswaran, a third student studying accounting and finance who competed in the World and European championships in karate, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Donaldson was arrested at his home in west London on January 11 where he was discovered hiding in a cupboard.

Police found 74 wraps of crack and heroin in his bedroom with a street value of more than £1,000.

Following the unanimous verdict at the Old Bailey, Judge Angela Rafferty KC remanded the defendant in custody and adjourned sentencing to a date to be fixed.

British Transport Police Detective Chief Inspector Paul Attwell 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.

"While no verdict can ever compensate for the loss of Anojan, I hope today's outcome provides his family with some sense of closure.

"Thanks to our extensive investigation, justice has now been served to the man responsible for killing their loved one."

Mr Gnaneswaran's family paid tribute to a "much-loved son and brother".

In a statement issued through British Transport Police, they said: "Anojan was in his third year at university studying accounting and finance, and he was so excited for his future.

"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."

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