Serial killer to die in prison as police review four deaths at homeless hostel

A serial killer who will die in prison after being given whole life orders for murdering two homeless men is now at the centre of a police review into the deaths of four people who lived at the same hostel as him.James Desborough, 40, who was a fan of TV serial killer Dexter, murdered Claudio Aquilino, 57, and Daniel Coleman, 43, before dismembering, burning and hiding their remains in woods in Cornwall last year.Devon and Cornwall Police are now reviewing the deaths of four people who were living at the Sandy Lodge Hotel in Newquay at the same time as Desborough.The former builder was already serving a life sentence for murdering his cellmate Steven Kempster, 65, whom he killed while on remand awaiting trial for these offences because of his snoring.Read MoreThe triple murderer is now a serial killer having killed three men in separate incidents over five months.Daniel Coleman was murdered by James Desborough (Devon and Cornwall Police/PA)PA MediaImposing two whole life orders at Winchester Crown Court, Mr Justice Saini said: “Having seen and heard you give evidence, and considering the circumstances in which you murdered Mr Kempster, I am sure that you are a highly dangerous individual who has no regard for the lives of people who you think are worthless.“You are a person who can kill in extreme violence, with no remorse or, indeed, reflection on your actions.“I also find that you killed each of them because they were vulnerable, homeless and physically slight individuals who you considered would not necessarily be missed given their chaotic personal lives.“As I’ve already said, I also find that you did not consider them, given their personal lives, to be worthy of respect as humans.”The judge described Desborough’s attempts to blame Mr Coleman for dismembering Mr Aquilino’s body as “disgraceful”.Claudio Aquilino was murdered by Desborough (Devon and Cornwall Police/PA)PA Media“Although this false narrative does not increase your sentence, it does demonstrate the type of man you are and the depth to which you went to avoid responsibility,” he added.Mr Aquilino and Mr Coleman, who both suffered from long-term addictions, had previously lived with Desborough at the hotel.Now, police are reviewing the deaths of two men and two women who died unexpectedly between December 2024 and March last year at the hotel while the serial killer was there.“They remain as unexpected deaths, but there are still some inquiries outstanding. He’s not a suspect at this time,” she said.“At the moment, we’re not looking for any other missing people associated with James Desborough.Detective Superintendent Rachael Bentley said Devon and Cornwall Police had attended each of the deaths at Sandy Lodge (Eleanor Storey/PA)PA Wire“We kept an open mind … If there is any evidence that comes to light, we will obviously do a review and investigate.”Mr Aquilino and Mr Coleman were both last seen alive in the company of the powerfully-built Desborough, who is 5ft 10in and weighs nearly 18st.Their bodies were dismembered and burnt in an area of Sticker Woods, near St Austell, where Desborough lived in a wooden cabin.It was there that police discovered, deposited in a stream, 1,900 burned bone fragments from the body of Mr Aquilino.Parts of Mr Coleman’s body, including his torso, legs and feet, were found in a shallow grave nearby.Prosecutors said Desborough was jealous of Mr Coleman because he had developed a sexual interest in his friend’s ex-wife, Hannah Creswell.Desborough told a forensic biologist who was searching the woods for Mr Coleman’s body that he “particularly enjoyed the dismemberment scenes” in the television series Dexter.Desborough had a cabin in the woods (Devon and Cornwall Police/PA)PA MediaPolice found several handwritten notes inside Desborough’s cabin, including one headed: “Bug out list” and another: “Hostiles”.The father-of-one denied both murders and told the jury it was a “series of unfortunate circumstances” the two men died on his land within a short space of time.He accepted then spending their money on beer and drugs, but told jurors: “They were friends, I got on well with them.”In victim impact statements, the families of his two victims condemned Desborough.Tony Nye, Mr Coleman’s younger brother, described him as a “vile waste of human flesh”.“You have taken from this world my big brother in the most disgusting and horrific way,” he said.The bodies of Mr Coleman and Mr Aquilino were dismembered and hidden in woodland (Devon and Cornwall Police/PA)PA Media“You deserve to rot for what you have done. We see you for the violent, degenerate coward you are.“There will be no forgiveness for someone like you in this life or the next, rot in hell scum.”Rebecca Nye, the mother of Mr Coleman’s teenage daughter, told him: “Who made you judge, jury and executioner? You did.“I will tell you this: you might have taken Daniel’s life, but I’ll be damned if you will take hers.”Mr Coleman’s daughter said: “You are nothing – a poor, sad little boy that has nothing to do in life. You are a sorry, pathetic excuse. You don’t deserve pity. You’re just a miscreant killer.”David Bonomi, Mr Aquilino’s uncle, said his family had many questions about the circumstances of his death.A number of handwritten notes were left by Desborough (Devon and Cornwall Police/PA)PA Media“We can only pray that he is now at peace and we will never forget him,” he added.Desborough, of Old Oak Woods, Lower Sticker, Cornwall, had previously pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful burial of the two men’s bodies, for which he received five-year concurrent sentences.Sean Brunton KC, defending, said the jury’s verdicts was of “no surprise to Mr Desborough” who until the last year had “found some success in life”.“Something has gone very badly wrong that led to these utterly bleak events,” he said.“Whether it is because of drink or drugs or some underlying character flaw, we cannot say.“Whatever the reasons I am bound to concede on Mr Desborough’s behalf it was totally and utterly wrong, and we are sorry for the pain he has caused.“Mr Desborough is bound to accept his fate and that he does.”