Police review four unexplained deaths at hotel following serial killer conviction

POLICE are reviewing four unexplained deaths at a Newquay hotel following the conviction of a serial killer.

Triple murderer James Desborough lived at the Sandy Lodge Hotel in Hilgrove Road between December 2024 and April 2025, during which time two men and two women died unexpectedly.

Desborough, 40, befriended 57-year-old Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman, 43, at the hotel before dismembering and concealing their bodies.

Police have said the investigation into the four unexplained deaths at the Sandy Lodge Hotel is "ongoing” but confirmed that Desborough is "not a suspect at this time."

Detective Superintendent Rachael Bentley, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said the police had attended each of the deaths at Sandy Lodge and inquiries suggested natural causes, but coronial investigations were paused when Desborough was arrested for murder.

Det Supt Bentley said: "As a major crime investigation team, we were informed by the coroner’s officer for His Majesty’s Coroner that there were four deaths at Sandy Lodge.

"As part of the investigation, a detective inspector, separate to the investigation but within major crime, did a review of those deaths and that included commissioning some more forensic work, some CCTV and statements.

"There are still some inquiries outstanding on those. They remain as unexpected deaths, but there are still some inquiries outstanding. He’s not a suspect at this time.

"We’re in conversation with His Majesty’s Coroner, but they were reviewed as part of the investigation. We don’t believe there is a link at this time.

"We kept an open mind throughout the investigation that more victims could come into this investigation.

"At the moment, we’re not looking for any other missing people associated with James Desborough. We kept an open mind. If there is any evidence that comes to light, we will obviously do a review and investigate."

Police have previously stated five deaths at the Sandy Lodge Hotel were not being treated as suspicious.

A police spokesperson stated at the time: “Police were called by the ambulance service at 10.30am on Tuesday, December 17 2024, following concern for the welfare of a woman at an address on Hilgrove Road, Newquay.

“The woman in her forties was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police were called at 11.30am on Thursday, December 26, 2024, following concern for the welfare of a man at an address on Hilgrove Road, Newquay. The man in his fifties was pronounced deceased at the scene.

“Police were called by the ambulance service at 9.40am on Monday, February 10 following concern for the welfare of a woman at an address on Hilgrove Road, Newquay.

“The woman in her fifties was pronounced deceased at the scene.

“Police were called by the ambulance service at 9am on Monday, March 10 following concern for the welfare of a man at an address on Hilgrove Road, Newquay.

“The man in his sixties was pronounced deceased at the scene.

“The deaths are being treated as separate incidents and are not being treated as suspicious, with files being prepared for the coroner. Next of kin were informed in each case.”

Murderer James Desborough was jailed for life for killing and dismembering Aquilino and Daniel Coleman before burning and burying their remains in woodland at Sticker.

Desborough was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Wednesday, July 29 over the deaths of Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman.

Triple killer Desborough had already been jailed for strangling his cellmate to death while he was being held on remand in prison.

Judge Mr Justice Saini handed Desborough a whole-life prison term for murdering Daniel, 43, and Claudio, 57, and preventing the lawful burial of both men.

The judge described Desborough as ‘a highly dangerous individual’ with ‘no regard’ for the people who he deemed as ‘worthless and not worthy of respect’.

Desborough murdered and dismembered Claudio and Daniel then tried to burn and bury their remains in woodland surrounding his remote cabin home in Sticker.

Both men were homeless and had trusted Desborough as a friend.

He accessed their bank accounts, spent their money and attempted to cover up his crimes after they had disappeared.

Specialist teams and forensic scientists spent five months carrying out painstaking searches across 5sq km of Paramoor Woods to find both victims’ remains as part of a major police operation.

Mr Justice Saini told Desborough: “You can kill with extreme violence with no remorse for your actions.”

He highlighted how Claudio and Daniel were dearly-loved by their families and friends, as set out in powerful victim impact statements read to the court.

Mr Justice Saini added that Desborough took advantage of their vulnerability, homeless status and smaller builds and invited them to his land before murdering them.

A jury took just three hours to find Desborough guilty of the murders of Daniel and Claudio following a six-week trial at Winchester Crown Court. He admitted preventing the lawful burial of both men.

After being charged with the murder of Daniel Coleman and remanded in custody at HMP Exeter, Desborough strangled his cellmate Steven Kempster because he was irritated by him snoring.

Desborough was convicted of the murder of Steven following a separate trial at Exeter Crown Court in March.

Detective Superintendent Rachael Bentley, head of Devon & Cornwall Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “The murders of Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman were callous and cold -blooded.

“Both men were vulnerable and trusted James Desborough as their friend.

“Desborough not only brutally murdered both men, but then savagely desecrated their bodies, seeking to hide the evidence of his crimes.

“In doing so, he denied Claudio and Daniel of dignity and their families of the opportunity to say goodbye.

“Desborough then set about spending their money. He also sought to lay a false trail for detectives to follow in trying to convince people they were still alive.

“I would like to pay tribute to the families of Claudio and Daniel, who have conducted themselves with a quiet dignity throughout this investigation and who have had to listen to, and see, some harrowing evidence.

“I hope the sentencing of Desborough today will bring them some sense of justice and allow them to begin the process of finding some closure.

“This was an extremely challenging and complex investigation, which required painstaking detective work and extremely detailed forensic examination in a challenging physical environment.

“I would also like to thank all of the witnesses in this case who came forward and gave evidence, the jury for their careful and considered attention throughout the trial, and our colleagues at the Crown Prosecution Service."

Both Daniel and Claudio had previously lived with Desborough at Sandy Lodge; a multi-occupancy residence in Newquay.

Daniel was reported missing on June, 17 2025 and enquiries led officers to Desborough’s woodland home.

Detectives discovered Desborough had been using Daniel’s bank card and he was initially arrested on suspicion of fraud and subsequently murder.

Daniel’s phone was found under Desborough’s mattress and his bank card and watch in a metal tin under the cabin’s decking.

Claudio Aquilino’s SIM card and gym membership card were also located in the tin and a missing person enquiry was launched to find him.

Claudio’s bank card was later found in the roof space of the shack.

In the following days a shallow grave was located at the site containing human remains later confirmed to be those of Daniel. Remains identified as being those of Claudio were found in a stream close to Desborough's cabin.

Searches also uncovered notes and drawings penned by Desborough in which he listed ‘hostiles’, said ‘I know I’m a killer’ and marked a ‘kill-zone’ on a scribbled map.

Desborough told a forensic biologist searching the woods he particularly enjoyed the dismemberment scenes in the television series Dexter.

He denied both murders, claiming he found both men dead in the woods, and felt pressured into disposing of their bodies.

Forensic scientists would go on to recover more than 1,900 burnt bone fragments from the stream.

Some of those fragments could not be identified, however, detectives and experts have no reason to believe these belong to anyone other than Claudio.

Detectives believe Desborough murdered Claudio Aquilino in April 2025.

Claudio’s burnt and fragmented remains were identified in the stream close to Desborough's cabin.

Forensic experts also determined Claudio’s DNA was found on an axe found hanging from a tree close to some of the remains.

Claudio was last seen alive leaving a pub in Newquay with Desborough on 18 April 2025 after which almost-daily contact with his family suddenly stopped.

He had the night before called police over concerns Desborough wanted him to help with a break-in, describing him as ‘off his head’ and ‘kamikaze’.

The court heard it was ‘no coincidence’ Desborough’s phone was switched off from 16 April to 22 April 2025.

Spending patterns from Claudio’s bank accounts also changed and transfers were made to Desborough’s own funds on six separate occasions.

Desborough was caught on CCTV using Mr Aquilino’s bank cards to withdraw cash.

Desborough travelled to London Paddington by train on June 24 2025, and spent two-and-a-half hours in the capital before returning to Cornwall.He used Claudio’s card on the outward journey, but not on the return trip.

The court heard this was an attempt to create a false trail Claudio was still alive and had left Cornwall.

Claudio’s family said in a statement: “As a family 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.

“We as a family cannot thank Devon and Cornwall Police officers enough for all their support and care throughout this profoundly sad ordeal for the family. Thank you.”

Desborough murdered Daniel Coleman on June 3 2025 following weeks of escalating anger towards him.

A note found in Desborough's cabin headed ‘Hostiles’ contained the entry ‘Dan’ with three crosses beside it.

Daniel was last seen alive on June 3, 2025 after spending the day with Desborough in pubs in Falmouth and Truro.

Desborough used Daniel’s card to buy a handsaw, a knife, a galvanised bucket, firelighters, and gloves and attempted to burn and bury his remains in a shallow grave.

After killing Daniel, he texted an acquaintance that ‘the coast is clear’ and that there was ‘no more aggro’.

Desborough forged a note to suggest Daniel had voluntarily left the area and gone walking the Saints Trails.

The killer used Daniel’s email to book a coach journey from Penzance to Exeter on June, 27 2025 in an attempt to make it appear he was alive and had left Cornwall.

Desborough was also seen on CCTV taking a taxi to purchase fuel and a petrol can on June, 26 2025.

Daniel’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.”

An extensive and meticulous forensic police search of Paramoor Woods in Sticker ran from June 30 to November, 28 2025.

Police teams covered five sq km of woodland and watercourses, utilising 1,136 officer deployments.

The 175-day operational period equated to a combined total of 198,800 search hours.

Of these, 96,266 hours were dedicated to the search for human remains and potential further deposition sites.

This involved the painstaking removal of leaf litter to identify changes in soil composition and signs of ground disturbance. Teams also carried out fingertip searches through dense laurel and bogland on their hands and knees.

The Force worked closely with specialist colleagues from the National Search Centre, National Crime Agency, Environment Agency, fire service, and archaeological experts.

The operation saw the first documented dammed watercourse diversion and high-assurance fingertip search of a watercourse bed.

This involved diverting the stream to enable the systematic sieving of 300 metres of its bed.

This element of the search required 104 officers working over a six-week period, contributing a combined total of 1,664 hours.

Gravel and sediment were carefully sieved to a depth of 2mm in order to identify even the smallest bone fragments and other evidential material.

Desborough brutally attacked and ‘squeezed the life out of’ his prison cellmate Steven Kempster while he slept in the early hours of 15 September 2025.

He then waited hours to raise the alarm, pretending 65-year-old Steven had fallen out of bed and wasn’t breathing.

Desborough had told fellow prisoners the previous night that he would kill Mr Kempster if he was irritated again by his snoring.

Desborough was at the time being held on remand at HMP Exeter charged with the murder of Daniel Coleman in Cornwall. He was later charged with the murder of Claudio Aquilino.

Desborough was sentenced for the murder of Steven at Exeter Crown Court on 15 June 2026. He was jailed for life, to serve a minimum of 18 years.

His Honour Judge James Patrick told Desborough: “Simply put, you squeezed the life out of him and left him for dead.

“It is the inevitable inference from what you had said that you strangled him as he slept.

“It was some hours before you alerted the authorities to what had happened.”

Desborough and Steven shared a cell on D-Wing of the prison from September, 12 2025.

The Judge said Steven was an ‘older, frailer’ man who ‘tried to keep himself to himself’ and had a health condition which meant he snored.

He added: “He had the misfortune to be allocated a cell with you, James Desborough.

“You were younger, more confident and stronger. Your cellmate irritated you so much that you asked to be moved.

“It is likely that would have happened if you had been more patient. As it is, you said that you would kill him if he snored again. Seemingly, he did, and so you did.”

Det Supt Bentley said: “Steven Kempster was also vulnerable by virtue of his age and health conditions and was murdered, seemingly for snoring.

“For Desborough to take Steven’s life in this way was cowardly.”