Background and Context

• Donald MacPherson: Born 1949 in Clydebank, Scotland. Twice married, father of four, grandfather of seven. A chef by profession who had worked at the prestigious Reform Club in Pall Mall after moving to London in the early 2000s for a fresh start following the breakdown of his second marriage. Reliable, well-liked by colleagues, and very close to his family.

• Luciano “Gianno” Schiano: Born in the Campania region of Italy, later moved to London. Lived in Summersell House, a council flat in West Norwood. Known locally for his ponytail, moustache, tracksuit, and sociable character. He was a Big Issue seller on Streatham High Street, described as eccentric but harmless, and occasionally held noisy gatherings in his flat.

• Donald and Luciano met in London; Donald lodged with him to be close to work. They were friends despite their different lifestyles.

• The perpetrators: Claudio Lamponi (30, from Naples) and Massimo Manai (41, from Sardinia). Both Italian nationals living in South London, heavily involved in drugs and petty crime. Known socially to Luciano, described as “compatriots.”

Incident / Key Events

• August 2009: A party confrontation. Luciano allegedly made an unwanted advance towards Manai’s girlfriend. Manai headbutted Luciano. Afterwards, Luciano told friends that Manai and Lamponi threatened to kill him.

• 11 October 2009: Lamponi and Manai carried out the attack at Summersell House.

• Luciano was ambushed while watching TV in the living room; stabbed 26 times in torso and neck.

• Donald was attacked in his bed, sustaining around 60 knife wounds and 20 blunt-force injuries. A household iron was used with such force that it broke, shattering bones in his face.

• The attackers left the scene calmly, described by prosecutor Mark Heywood QC as having “slunk away into the night to wash themselves of the blood.”

  
  

Investigation

• Police initially considered murder–suicide because both men were stabbed and no forced entry was visible.

• Forensic evidence quickly disproved this: Donald had defensive wounds; both sets of injuries pointed to external attackers.

• Officers described the flat as resembling “an abattoir.”

• CCTV showed Luciano returning home on a bus around 11pm that night.

• Phone records and witness accounts linked him to Lamponi and Manai.

• An early suspect (29-year-old man) was arrested and bailed, but evidence soon converged on Lamponi and Manai.

• Both were arrested by the end of October 2009.

  
  

Outcome

• Trial: Old Bailey, 2010.

• Prosecution (Mark Heywood QC): emphasised the sheer brutality, the broken iron, and that Donald was killed purely for being there.

• Defence: attempted to downplay premeditation; Lamponi’s counsel blamed Manai, while Manai’s claimed tempers flared in the moment.

• Family testimony: Donald’s daughter Manda described her father as “a simple man” who adored his family, saying the killers had “stolen the heart of the family.” The jury was visibly moved by her words.

• Jury convicted both men of double murder.

  
  

Aftermath

• Sentencing: Judge Richard Hone QC condemned the killings as “cold-blooded and remorseless,” from a “degenerate and drug-fuelled world” where petty disputes escalated to appalling violence.

• Both men sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 33 years; earliest release date 2043.

• The murders shocked West Norwood but received limited national coverage.

• Luciano’s death highlighted the invisibility of Big Issue sellers in life and in death, a point underlined by research into the many other vendors murdered across the UK.

• Donald’s family were left devastated; his absence deeply felt by children and grandchildren.