James Desborough, 40, who was already serving a life sentence for murdering his cellmate, has been convicted of killing two vulnerable friends in Cornwall. A jury at Winchester crown court found him guilty of murdering Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman, whose dismembered and burnt bodies were discovered in woodland near Sticker, Cornwall. Mr Justice Saini indicated that Desborough could face a whole-life term, describing the situation as “unique” – a person being sentenced for two murders while already jailed for life for killing someone in prison.
The murders and the search
Aquilino, 57, and Coleman, 43, were last seen alive drinking with Desborough – Aquilino on 18 April 2025 and Coleman on 3 June 2025. Police launched a five-month search codenamed Operation Honeyfall, involving more than 700 officers and scientists from five other forces. Dog teams, soil experts and anthropologists were brought in. The terrain was jungle-like and boggy; officers sometimes waded through chest-deep water. Over 1,900 burnt bone fragments – Aquilino's remains – were found in a stream, while Coleman's charred body parts were discovered in a shallow grave with a hatchet hanging on a nearby tree.
Desborough kept a close watch on the search. Before enough evidence to remand him, he hung around, telling a forensic biologist he liked the dismemberment scenes in the serial killer show Dexter. Officers sometimes smelled burning or heard digging, possibly as Desborough tried to destroy evidence. Police also found notes suggesting he planned to change his appearance through plastic surgery and flee the UK, perhaps to south-east Asia. One note read: “I’m a killer and ready to execute any predators.” Another, headed “bug out”, added: “Take out the remaining muppets.”
The prison murder and trial
While awaiting trial for the two murders, Desborough was held in Exeter prison sharing a cell with Steven Kempster, who had been jailed for suffocating his 91-year-old father. Desborough strangled Kempster to death because he was annoyed with his habits. He is already serving a life sentence for that murder.
During the trial, prosecutor Ahmed Hossain KC suggested Desborough might have killed Aquilino and Coleman because he considered them worthless – “dinlos”, a local slang term for fools. Desborough replied: “I thought they were OK. They were good friends.” He denied killing them but admitted burning and hiding their bodies while high on ketamine and drinking tequila. He claimed he found the bodies – one hanging in a tree, the other naked in a stream – and called it a “series of unfortunate circumstances”.
Background and context
The three men knew each other from a hostel for homeless people in Newquay. Desborough, a civil engineer by profession and a father, had fallen on hard times. He inherited land near Sticker from his grandfather and built a shack, but lacked planning permission. He let homeless friends camp there, grew cannabis, and hid class A drugs in a “stash tree”. Machetes, knives and saws were scattered around the property. Aquilino was taking hard drugs and subjected to “cuckooing” – dealers taking over his home. Coleman abused alcohol, had cirrhosis, and suffered PTSD after being kidnapped and stabbed at age 13.
The trial highlighted deep-rooted social issues in Cornwall – pockets of deprivation, homelessness and addiction. Defence barrister Sean Brunton KC said the three had “slipped through the cracks in society”. Sentencing is set for Wednesday, where Desborough may receive a whole-life order, putting him on par with serial killers like Rose West.
