James Desborough convicted of murdering two homeless men found dismembered in Cornwall woods

A jury at Winchester Crown Court found James Desborough guilty of murdering Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman, whose remains were hidden in woodland near his cabin.

Triple killer convicted over bodies found buried in Cornwall woodland

A jury at Winchester Crown Court has found James Desborough, 40, guilty of murdering two men he met at a homeless shelter, bbc.com reports. The victims — Claudio Aquilino, 57, and Daniel Coleman, 43 — were dismembered, subjected to attempts to burn their remains, and hidden in woodland near Sticker in Cornwall, where Desborough owned a cabin.

Desborough, of Old Oak Woods, Lower Sticker, had previously admitted preventing the lawful burial of both men in 2025. He is due to be sentenced on Wednesday by Mr Justice Pushpinder Saini, who told him he should "be alive" to the prospect of a whole life order.

Aquilino was last seen alive on 18 April 2025. Coleman was last seen on 3 June 2025. Both men had suffered from serious addictions and were captured on pub CCTV in Desborough's company — Aquilino in Newquay and Coleman in Truro. Prosecutors told the court both were likely killed by Desborough shortly after they were last seen.

Police discovered 1,900 burned bone fragments believed to be from Aquilino's body. Parts of Coleman's dismembered body — including his torso, legs and feet — were recovered from a shallow grave nearby. Forensic experts were unable to determine the cause of death in either case due to the condition of the remains.

The court also heard that in late April, Desborough travelled to London Paddington station and withdrew money from Aquilino's bank account. Prosecutors said Aquilino had already been dead for several days at that point. Aquilino had phoned his mother every day, and contact had ceased before the trip was made.

This was not Desborough's first murder conviction arising from this period. Earlier in 2025, he was found guilty of strangling his 65-year-old cellmate, Steven Kempster, at HMP Exeter while on remand awaiting trial for the Aquilino and Coleman killings. The court in that case heard Kempster's snoring had irritated Desborough. He was sentenced to life with a minimum tariff of 19 years for that murder.

Desborough stood to hear Wednesday's verdicts with his hands behind his back, wearing a grey T-shirt and glasses, and maintained a neutral expression throughout.

Following the verdict, Coleman's family issued a statement thanking investigators and the prosecution. "Dan was a loving, caring and compassionate man who will be forever loved and sadly missed," the family said.

Aquilino's family described facing "a profoundly sad ordeal." "We are completely and utterly mortified in the violent murder of Claudio and the manner in which his body was disposed," they said, adding that they now prayed he was at peace.

Detective Superintendent Rachael Bentley, of Devon and Cornwall Police's major crime investigation team, described the killings as "callous and cold-blooded." She noted that "both men were vulnerable and trusted James Desborough as their friend" before he murdered them and "savagely desecrated their bodies." Bentley also paid tribute to the victims' families, who she said "conducted themselves with a quiet dignity throughout this investigation."

Helen Phillips of the Crown Prosecution Service called it "a large and extremely complex case." Her office had worked with two separate police teams — one investigating the woodland deaths and a second running a parallel inquiry into the murder at HMP Exeter. "As Desborough faces justice for his actions, my thoughts remain with the families and friends of his three victims," Phillips said.

Witness impact statements are to be read at Wednesday's sentencing hearing.

Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)