‘A control freak’: murderer James Desborough convicted of two further killings

A Control Freak: Understanding James Desborough's Motivations

James Desborough, a 40-year-old civil engineer, has been convicted of murdering two friends, Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman, in Cornwall. He is already serving a life sentence for killing his cellmate in Exeter prison. The judge described the circumstances as 'unique'.

Desborough's behavior was characterized by a need for control and a terrible temper. He had a history of violence, including an old conviction for GBH. His friends described him as a control freak, and acquaintances reported that he had a terrible temper.

The trial highlighted the deep-rooted social issues in Cornwall, including homelessness and addiction problems. Desborough, Aquilino, and Coleman were among those who had slipped through the cracks in society. They got to know each other when they lived in a hostel for homeless people in the seaside resort of Newquay.

In the months before he died, Aquilino was taking hard drugs, suffering from depression, and subjected to 'cuckooing', in which dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person. Coleman abused alcohol and had cirrhosis. He had been kidnapped and stabbed at the age of 13, leaving him with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The police were first called in after Coleman was reported missing. He had last been seen on 3 June 2025, drinking with Desborough. Police thought they had solved the case quickly when they found a body in woodland between Truro and the village of Probus. It turned out not to be Coleman though, or Aquilino, but a third man, Lee Hockey, who had vanished from Truro. Police believe he too may have been murdered, but have not linked his death to Desborough.

Attention began to focus on Paramoor Woods, near Sticker, once a mining settlement now popular with people who work in the town of St Austell. Desborough had inherited land there from his grandfather and built a shack, though, to his frustration, he did not have the correct planning permission and had been told by the council that he was not allowed to live there permanently.

He would let homeless friends camp there, grew cannabis, and had a 'stash tree' where he hid class A drugs in a hollow. Machetes, knives, and saws were also scattered around the property. Police searched the woods for five months, eventually finding the remains of Coleman and Aquilino. The latter had last been seen alive on 18 April 2025, also drinking with Desborough.

The search was extraordinary, involving more than 700 officers and scientists, and drawing on resources from five other forces. Dog teams, soil experts, and anthropologists were brought in. The case highlights the need for support for vulnerable individuals and the importance of addressing the deep-rooted social issues in Cornwall.