MAN CONVICTED OF MURDERING TWO HOMELESS MEN IN CORNWALL

James Desborough has been found guilty of murdering Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman, whose dismembered bodies were hidden in woodland in Cornwall. A jury at Winchester Crown Court returned unanimous guilty verdicts on Tuesday 28 July after deliberating for three hours and 15 minutes. Desborough, 40, showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out. He is already serving a life sentence after strangling his prison cellmate Steven Kempster at HMP Exeter whilst on remand awaiting trial for these murders, making him a serial killer who killed three men over five months.

Mr Aquilino, 57, and Mr Coleman, 43, had previously lived with Desborough at a homeless hostel and were last seen alive in his company. Following their disappearances, Desborough spent their money on drugs and alcohol. Police discovered 1,900 burned bone fragments from Mr Aquilino's body deposited in a stream in Sticker Woods near St Austell, where Desborough lived in a wooden cabin. Parts of Mr Coleman's body, including his torso, legs and feet, were found in a shallow grave nearby. Desborough told a forensic biologist searching the woods that he "particularly enjoyed the dismemberment scenes" in the television series Dexter.

Officers found several handwritten notes in Desborough's cabin, including one stating: "I know I am a killer and ready to execute any predators" with another reading "Take care of the remaining muppets," listing Mr Coleman's name. Desborough had also drawn concentric circles titled "Kill Zone" with the subtitle "Operational spheres", positioning Sticker Woods at the centre with London and Benidorm at the outer points. The notes headed "Bug out list" and "Hostiles" were also recovered, alongside evidence he had made plans to leave the United Kingdom weeks before his arrest.