Man guilty of murdering two men found in Cornwall woodland

Desborough stood to listen to the verdicts with his hands behind his back.

He was wearing a grey T-shirt and glasses, and maintained a neutral expression while listening.

He was told he should “be alive” to the prospect of a whole life sentence when he is sentenced by Mr Justice Pushpinder Saini on Wednesday.

Witness impact statements would also be read out at the hearing, the court was told.

After the verdict, Coleman’s family said in a statement: “We as a family would like to thank the police, prosecution and everyone involved in getting justice for Dan.

“Dan was a loving, caring and compassionate man who will be forever loved and sadly missed.”

Aquilino’s family said: “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.”

They said they had faced a “profoundly sad ordeal”.

Det Supt Rachael Bentley, of Devon and Cornwall Police’s major crime investigation team, described the killings as “callous and cold-blooded”, as “both men were vulnerable and trusted James Desborough as their friend” before he brutally murdered them and “savagely desecrated their bodies”.

She paid tribute to the victims’ families, saying they “conducted themselves with a quiet dignity throughout this investigation and who have had to listen to, and see, some harrowing evidence”.

Desborough was previously found guilty of strangling his 65-year-old cellmate Steven Kempster in September 2025, while on remand awaiting trial over the deaths of Coleman and Aquilino.

That trial had heard Kempster’s snoring had annoyed Desborough.

Bentley said Desborough’s taking of Kempster’s “in this way was cowardly”.

Helen Phillips of the Crown Prosecution Service said after the hearing that it had been a “large and extremely complex case”.

“We worked closely with police from the very start of their investigation in Paramoor Woods, and then later with a second police team on the investigation into the murder at HMP Exeter, which ran in parallel.

“The families of Claudio and Daniel have been so dignified throughout the investigation and trial process, even when faced in court with awful descriptions of what happened to their loved ones, and Desborough’s attempts to blame Daniel for somehow being involved in the disposal of Claudio’s body.

“As Desborough faces justice for his actions, my thoughts remain with the families and friends of his three victims.”

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