James Desborough (Homeless Shelter Serial Killer)

Before the murders, Desborough had worked in the construction industry and at one stage described himself as a civil engineer. By 2024 and 2025, however, he had become homeless and struggled with addiction. He spent time living at the Sandy Lodge Hotel in Newquay, Cornwall, emergency accommodation for homeless people and those with substance dependency, where he met future victims Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman.

Desborough later moved to a makeshift woodland cabin near Sticker, Cornwall. During the investigation, police discovered handwritten notes referring to bodies, escape plans, burner phones and his fascination with the television series Dexter, particularly its dismemberment scenes.

Investigators determined that Desborough murdered 57-year-old Claudio Aquilino sometime between April and July 2025 after the two had been living together in the woodland cabin. Aquilino's body was dismembered, burned and scattered around nearby woodland in an apparent attempt to conceal the crime.

Only weeks later, Desborough murdered Daniel Coleman, 43, another resident from the same homeless shelter. Coleman was also dismembered before parts of his body were buried in a shallow grave near Desborough's cabin. Extensive searches later recovered his remains.

While being held on remand awaiting trial for the Cornwall murders, Desborough murdered his 65-year-old prison cellmate, Steven Kempster, by strangulation at HMP Exeter on 15 September 2025. Prosecutors alleged the killing occurred because Kempster's snoring irritated him. A jury later convicted Desborough of murder.

The three murders established Desborough as one of Britain's most recent serial killers.

Desborough targeted vulnerable men whom he had come to know through homelessness and addiction services.

After killing his victims, he attempted to destroy or conceal evidence by dismembering bodies, burning remains and burying body parts in remote woodland surrounding his cabin. Police recovered axes, saws, knives, machetes and other cutting implements during searches of the property.

The concealment of the victims' remains significantly delayed their discovery and required one of the largest forensic searches ever undertaken by Devon and Cornwall Police.

Concern grew after Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman disappeared and relatives were unable to contact them.

A major investigation led detectives to Desborough's woodland cabin near Sticker. Extensive forensic searches uncovered burned bone fragments, buried human remains and physical evidence linking him to both victims. Desborough denied murdering either man but admitted preventing their lawful burial.

While awaiting trial for those offences, Desborough strangled his prison cellmate Steven Kempster inside HMP Exeter. He was subsequently convicted of that murder before standing trial for the Cornwall killings.

Desborough was first convicted of murdering Steven Kempster following a jury trial at Exeter Crown Court in March 2026.

He later stood trial at Winchester Crown Court for the murders of Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman. On 28 July 2026, a jury found him guilty of both murders after rejecting his claim that he had merely discovered the victims' bodies.

On 29 July 2026, Mr Justice Saini sentenced Desborough to a whole life order for the murders of Aquilino and Coleman. The judge described him as an exceptionally dangerous offender who regarded his vulnerable victims as worthless. Because of the whole life order, Desborough will spend the remainder of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The investigation into Desborough's crimes required a 175-day police operation involving more than 700 personnel. Detectives searched dense woodland, excavated burial sites and even diverted a stream while recovering the victims' remains.

Following Desborough's conviction, Devon and Cornwall Police announced they were reviewing the deaths of four other residents from the Sandy Lodge Hotel who died between December 2024 and April 2025. Authorities have stressed that these deaths remain under review and Desborough has not been charged or identified as a suspect in those cases.

Desborough's murders have drawn comparisons with fictional serial killer Dexter because of his own stated fascination with the television series and the similarities in his attempts to dismember and dispose of victims' bodies.