Double murder accused strangled his Devon cellmate while awaiting trial

Jury at Winchester crown court told James Desborough was convicted in March of murdering Steven Kempster

A fan of a TV show about a serial killer strangled a cellmate in prison while awaiting trial for allegedly murdering two men and hiding their remains in Cornish woodland, a jury has heard.

James Desborough, 40, is accused of killing Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman and concealing parts of their bodies in the dense undergrowth close to his cabin near St Austell.

On Monday the jury at Winchester crown court was told that earlier this year Desborough was found guilty of murdering a man called Steven Kempster in a Devon prison.

In agreed facts read to the jury, Ahmed Hossain KC, prosecuting, said: “On 27 March 2026 at Exeter crown court, James Desborough was convicted by a jury of the murder of Steven Kempster.

“The facts of this conviction are that on 15 September 2025 James Desborough murdered Steven Kempster (with whom he shared a cell at HMP Exeter, whilst on remand for the current allegations) by compression of the neck by strangulation.”

The jury in the current case has heard that after killing Aquilino and Coleman, Desborough allegedly accessed their bank accounts and tried to cover his tracks by making it appear that one had gone to London and the other was walking a long-distance trail.

Police spent five months searching the woods around Desborough’s cabin, discovering burnt bone fragments, believed to have belonged to Aquilino, in a stream, the court heard.

Parts of Coleman’s body, including his torso, legs and feet, were found in a shallow grave nearby. An axe hung from a tree close to the grave.

Hossain told the jury that Desborough was present at times when police searched the woods and that, while chatting to a forensic biologist involved in the operation, had said he “particularly enjoyed the dismemberment scenes” in the television programme Dexter.

In the agreed facts, the jury was told that both men who died had suffered from mental health problems.

Aquilino, 57, had been a target of intimidation and harassment that he believed to be racially motivated and he felt it was safer to be homeless and live in a tent, the jury heard. In 2022 he told police he was being bullied by “scouse” dealers in the Cornish town of Callington, who “make him do jobs”, had stolen his phone and entered his home when he did not want them to.

Coleman, 43, had suffered mental health problems after being kidnapped at the age of 13 when he was stabbed, the jury heard.

The two alleged victims and Desborough lived together for a while at accommodation in Newquay for homeless people and people with addiction problems, the court has heard.

The prosecution alleged that Aquilino and Coleman were last seen alive in the company of Desborough and police began searching the woods in July last year.

Jurors were told that the month before, Desborough had repeatedly searched for details about cosmetic surgery in Thailand and airports there. Following a review of handwritten notes they found in his cabin, police also investigated an email address associated with a private cosmetic surgery clinic.

The jury was shown images of knives, saws and axes found in and around Desborough’s cabin, and one picture showing a ghillie suit – a specialised camouflage suit – that was found hanging outside his home.

Desborough denies murdering Aquilino and Coleman between April and July last year. The jury heard he had admitted preventing their lawful burial.