Serial killer sentenced to whole life order after murdering, dismembering and hiding bodies of two men

The killer and his victims previously lived together at Sandy Lodge Hotel in Newquay, which housed homeless people and those suffering from addictions.

Delivering the sentencing, Mr Justice Saini said Desborough would never be released.

In light of the deaths of Mr Aquilino and Mr Coleman, police are reviewing the deaths of four others who lived there at the same time as Desborough.

He lived at Sandy Lodge Hotel between December 2024 and April 2025, during which time two men and two women died unexpectedly.

Mr Aquilino and Mr Coleman, who both suffered from long-term addictions, had previously lived with Desborough at the homeless hostel, and the last time they were both seen alive was in his company.

After their disappearances, he went on to spend their money on drugs and alcohol, and claimed they had both left Cornwall.

James Desborough sentenced to a whole life order after killing Claudio Aquilino, 57, and Daniel Coleman, 43

PA

Their bodies were dismembered 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.

At Winchester Crown Court, the judge told the convict: "You are now aged 40.

"I cannot, of course, resentence you for the murder of Mr Kempster, but given you are already subject to a life sentence with a minimum term as I have specified, my concurrent sentences for the murder of Claudio and Daniel must reflect your overall criminality.

"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."

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