Murder accused had 'three explosions of violence'

A man accused of murdering two men he met in a homeless shelter also killed his prison cellmate after being remanded in custody in a "third explosion of fatal violence" in less than six months, a court has heard.

James Desborough, who denies murdering 57-year-old Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman, 43, was convicted of murdering Steven Kempster at HMP Exeter after a trial in March.

Desborough, 40, is now on trial at Winchester Crown Court, where he admits preventing the lawful burial of Aquilino and Coleman, whose remains were found in woodland he owned in Sticker, Cornwall.

Closing the case to the jury, Ahmed Hossain KC, prosecuting, said Desborough, of Old Oak Woods, Lower Sticker, was capable of switching to "very serious violence". The defence's closing speech urged jurors against following the "easy path" of the prosecution case.

Hossain said: "Whilst he was on remand for these two murders, he murdered again. He murdered his cellmate.

"So, he killed in custody whilst he was waiting to be tried for killing in the woods."

Hossain said the "three explosions of fatal violence took place in less than six months".

The court previously heard Aquilino was last seen alive on 18 April 2025 and Coleman was last seen on 3 June 2025.

Both men were seen in the company of Desborough on pub CCTV in Newquay and Truro respectively.

Prosecutors said each man was likely killed by Desborough soon after they were last seen and that Desborough then dismembered their bodies, tried to burn their remains and hid them before stealing their money.

Hossain said Desborough claimed to the jury Aquilino had been "alive in the woods and coming and going until June" so he could "pin the blame on someone else" - Daniel Coleman.

Hossain asked the jury to look at "proof of life" documents for both Aqulino and Coleman, which showed their regular contact with family members stopped after they were last seen, and their spending habits.

He asked: "Why is it that, after the significant dates from Mr Coleman and Mr Aquilino's disappearance, why is it that Desborough never once tries to contact them, tries to call, tries to text?"

Hossain urged jurors to remember Aquilino and Coleman were "real people" and not just entries in hospital and social service records.

He said Aquilino - described as a polite, softly-spoken man who called his mother all the time - had mental health difficulties and other health issues and had been involved in stealing and shoplifting.

"He had a drug addiction that devastated his life," he said.

Hossain said Coleman suffered from mental health and alcohol-related health problems and his relationship around the time of his death "seemed to be an absolute nightmare".

Echoing a similar point he made about Aquilino, Hossain said of Coleman: "Did James Desborough think: 'Who is going to miss him if he's gone? Who is going to look for him?'"

Of Desborough, he added: "This is someone who I suggest to you switches - like that - into very serious violence."

Hossain said Desborough was "calm and unphased" when arrested and did not answer questions.

He added: "There's a pattern here and the pattern is: kill, chop, burn, use the money, lie."

In his speech, Sean Brunton KC, defending, said there was "no evidence whatsoever that Mr Desborough did lose his temper either explosively or in any other way".

He said: "I'm not going to lie to you, ladies and gentleman, it doesn't look very good.

"I wouldn't like to be in Mr Desborough's shoes facing two counts of murder with you, having to answer why not just one but two dismembered bodies were found on his land.

"That's a pretty tricky problem to deal with, isn't it?"

Brunton urged the jury not to follow the "easy path", saying his client's account was based on facts, not just "assumptions and theories".

He said they should instead listen to Desborough's story - "the side of the story that's from somebody that was actually there".

He described parts of the prosecution case as "nonsense" and said some of the evidence had been "misinterpreted".

The trial continues.

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