Key facts
- James Desborough has been convicted of murdering Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman.
- The dismembered and burnt remains of Aquilino and Coleman were discovered in woodland.
- Desborough also murdered his cellmate, Steven Kempster, while awaiting trial.
- Desborough has been sentenced to life in prison for the murders.
- The judge described Desborough as a highly dangerous person who considered his victims worthless.
James Desborough, 40, has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of murdering two friends, Claudio Aquilino, 57, and Daniel Coleman, 43, and his cellmate, Steven Kempster, 65. Desborough murdered his two friends, dismembered their bodies, and hid them in woodland in Cornwall. While awaiting trial for these murders, he strangled his cellmate in Exeter prison. Mr Justice Saini, who handed down the rare whole-life order at Winchester crown court, described Desborough as a highly dangerous individual who considered his victims worthless. The judge noted that Desborough killed his friends because they were vulnerable, homeless, and physically slight individuals who he believed would not be missed. The investigation into the deaths of Aquilino and Coleman involved over 700 officers and scientists in a 175-day search of the woods, which uncovered over 1,900 burnt bone fragments. Desborough had used his victims' money to buy drugs and alcohol after their deaths, and the prosecution suggested he may have killed them due to their troubled lifestyles. Desborough reportedly told a forensic biologist that he had "particularly enjoyed the dismemberment scenes" in the television series Dexter.