James Desborough, 40, has been sentenced to whole life orders for the murders of Claudio Aquilino, 57, and Daniel Coleman, 43, in Cornwall. Devon and Cornwall Police are now reviewing the deaths of four people who lived at the Sandy Lodge Hotel in Newquay at the same time as Desborough.
Police review hostel deaths
Detectives are examining the deaths of two men and two women who died unexpectedly between December 2024 and March last year at the hotel while Desborough was there. Detective Superintendent Rachael Bentley said inquiries were ongoing and that Desborough is not a suspect at this time. “They remain as unexpected deaths, but there are still some inquiries outstanding. He’s not a suspect at this time,” she said.
The murders
Desborough, a former builder who was a fan of the TV series Dexter, murdered Mr Aquilino and Mr Coleman before dismembering, burning and hiding their remains in woods last year. He was already serving a life sentence for killing his cellmate Steven Kempster, 65, whom he murdered because of his snoring while on remand. The triple murderer killed three men in separate incidents over five months.
At Winchester Crown Court, Mr Justice Saini imposed two whole life orders, describing Desborough as “a highly dangerous individual who has no regard for the lives of people who you think are worthless.” The judge said Desborough killed each victim because they were “vulnerable, homeless and physically slight individuals who you considered would not necessarily be missed.”
Victim impact statements
Families of the victims condemned Desborough in court. Tony Nye, Mr Coleman’s younger brother, called him a “vile waste of human flesh” and said: “You deserve to rot for what you have done.” Rebecca Nye, mother of Mr Coleman’s teenage daughter, told Desborough: “Who made you judge, jury and executioner? You did.” Mr Coleman’s daughter said: “You are nothing – a poor, sad little boy that has nothing to do in life.”
David Bonomi, Mr Aquilino’s uncle, said his family had many questions about the circumstances of his death. “We can only pray that he is now at peace and we will never forget him,” he added.
Defence
Sean Brunton KC, defending, said the jury’s verdicts were of “no surprise to Mr Desborough” and that “something has gone very badly wrong that led to these utterly bleak events.” He conceded on Desborough’s behalf that it was “totally and utterly wrong, and we are sorry for the pain he has caused.”
