James Desborough given whole-life term for Cornwall murders

The man who murdered two homeless friends in the woods near Sticker, then killed a third man in his prison cell, has now been told he will never walk free again. James Desborough was handed a whole-life prison term today, the most severe sentence an English court can pass.

James Desborough, 40, was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Wednesday 29 July for the murders of Claudio Aquilino, 57, and Daniel Coleman, 43, and for preventing the lawful burial of both men. A jury had convicted him of the two murders the day before, taking just three hours after a six-week trial. He had already admitted the burial offences. The full account of how the killings came to light was set out when the verdict was returned on Tuesday.

A whole-life order means there is no minimum term and no prospect of release. It is his second life sentence. In March, at a separate trial at Exeter Crown Court, James was convicted of murdering his cellmate Steven Kempster, 65, whom he strangled at HMP Exeter while on remand for Daniel’s murder. He was jailed for that killing in June for a minimum of 18 years.

What the judge said

Sentencing him, Mr Justice Saini described James as “a highly dangerous individual” with “no regard” for people he deemed “worthless and not worthy of respect”.

“You can kill with extreme violence with no remorse for your actions,” the judge told him.

He said James had taken advantage of the two men’s vulnerability, their homeless status and their smaller builds, inviting them to his land before murdering them. He referred to the powerful victim impact statements read to the court, which set out how dearly Claudio and Daniel were loved by their families and friends.

Two men who trusted him

Both Claudio and Daniel were homeless and had trusted James as a friend. Both had previously lived with him at Sandy Lodge, a multi-occupancy residence in Newquay. He murdered and dismembered them at his remote cabin home in Sticker, then tried to burn and bury their remains in the surrounding woodland. After they vanished he accessed their bank accounts, spent their money, and laid a false trail to make it look as though they were still alive and had left Cornwall.

Detectives believe Claudio Aquilino was murdered in April 2025 and Daniel Coleman on 3 June 2025. Recovering their remains took specialist teams and forensic scientists five months, covering 5 square kilometres of Paramoor Woods and, at one stage, diverting a stream so 300 metres of its bed could be sieved by hand.

Detective Superintendent Rachael Bentley, head of Devon and Cornwall Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team, said the murders were “callous and cold-blooded”.

“Both men were vulnerable and trusted James Desborough as their friend,” she said. “Desborough not only brutally murdered both men, but then savagely desecrated their bodies, seeking to hide the evidence of his crimes. In doing so, he denied Claudio and Daniel of dignity and their families of the opportunity to say goodbye.”

Rachael said she hoped the sentence would “bring them some sense of justice and allow them to begin the process of finding some closure”. She paid tribute to both families, “who have conducted themselves with a quiet dignity throughout this investigation and who have had to listen to, and see, some harrowing evidence”, and thanked the witnesses, the jury, and colleagues at the Crown Prosecution Service.

Claudio’s family said in a statement: “As a family we are completely and utterly mortified in the violent murder of Claudio and the manner in which his body was disposed. Claudio will always be in our thoughts and we now pray he is at peace.”

Daniel’s family said: “Dan was a loving, caring and compassionate man who will be forever loved and sadly missed.”