James Desborough, 40, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court for the murders of Claudio Aquilino, 57, and Daniel Coleman, 43. Their dismembered remains were found in woodland near his cabin in Sticker, a village near St Austell, Cornwall. Desborough denies the two murder charges, which cover the period between April and July 2025, but has admitted preventing their lawful burial — meaning he has confessed to interfering with the victims' bodies but not to killing them. The prosecution, led by Ahmed Hossain KC (a senior barrister, known as King's Counsel), says that after allegedly killing both men, Desborough accessed their bank accounts and tried to make it look as though one had travelled to London and the other was walking a long-distance trail. The Guardian

The most striking disclosure to the jury came through what are called "agreed facts" — pieces of information that both prosecution and defence accept as true, so they are admitted into evidence without needing further proof. On 27 March 2026, at Exeter Crown Court, Desborough was convicted by a jury of murdering Steven Kempster, born 12 April 1960, by strangulation on 15 September 2025. At the time, Desborough was on remand (held in custody while awaiting trial) at HMP Exeter for the Aquilino and Coleman allegations, and he shared a cell with Kempster. The Crown Prosecution Service South West had announced the murder charge in September 2025, with Senior Crown Prosecutor Helen Phillips named in the official press release. The Guardian · CPS South West

The three men at the centre of this case had crossed paths before the alleged killings. Aquilino, Coleman, and Desborough lived together for a time at accommodation in Newquay for homeless people and people with addiction problems. Aquilino, who was 57, had been a target of intimidation and harassment he believed was racially motivated. He told police in 2022 that he was being bullied by individuals he described as "scouse" dealers in Callington, Cornwall, who "make him do jobs," stole his phone, and entered his home. He felt safer being homeless, living in a tent. Coleman, 43, suffered mental health problems that began after he was kidnapped at age 13 and stabbed. The Guardian

Aquilino and Coleman were last seen alive in the company of Desborough. The alleged murder of Aquilino is said to have occurred between 17 April and 7 July 2025. ITV News Police began searching woods near Desborough's cabin in July 2025 and spent five months combing the area. They discovered burnt bone fragments believed to belong to Aquilino in a stream. Parts of Coleman's body, including his torso, legs, and feet, were found in a shallow grave near the cabin, with an axe hanging from a nearby tree. A bank card was also found under the decking of Desborough's property. The Guardian · BBC News

The jury was shown images of knives, saws, axes, and a ghillie suit (a type of camouflage clothing used by military snipers and hunters) recovered from in and around the cabin. During the police search, Desborough told a forensic biologist that he "particularly enjoyed the dismemberment scenes" in the television programme Dexter. Disturbing handwritten notes found in the cabin were read to the jury, and police investigated an email address associated with a private cosmetic surgery clinic after reviewing them. In June 2025, Desborough had repeatedly searched for details about cosmetic surgery in Thailand and airports there, and court testimony indicated he had argued with one of the men he is accused of murdering. The Guardian · BBC News

The prosecution's strategy of presenting the Kempster conviction as agreed facts is procedurally significant. Because agreed facts are accepted without further proof, the Winchester jury has been told as an established matter that Desborough murdered a cellmate by strangulation while awaiting trial for the very killings they are now weighing. This places the defence in a difficult position: contesting the Aquilino and Coleman murder charges while a separate conviction for a third killing, committed inside a prison, sits uncontested before the same jury. Desborough's admission to preventing lawful burial further narrows the contested ground to the element of intent — whether he meant to kill or cause grievous bodily harm — rather than the fact of the victims' deaths and his role in concealing them.

The case also raises questions about prisoner safety and cell allocation at HMP Exeter. Desborough was placed on remand alongside Kempster while facing allegations of double murder. Devon and Cornwall Police charged Desborough, then 39, after Kempster was found dead in his cell on 15 September 2025. The fact that a defendant already accused of two killings was subsequently able to kill a cellmate will inevitably draw scrutiny of the risk-assessment and cell-sharing protocols operated by HM Prison and Probation Service, though no findings on those systemic questions have yet been reported in the current proceedings.

The trial continues at Winchester Crown Court.