Moment Dexter-inspired serial killer fights teenager in street - just hours before brutally murdering his love rival

A serial killer who styled himself on TV psychopath Dexter was filmed fighting with teenagers in a town centre just hours before he murdered his love rival.Footage appears to show James Desborough, 40, who was yesterday jailed for life for butchering two men, sparring with a teenage girl and several boys in Truro, Cornwall. He was earlier this year convicted of strangling to death a cellmate while awaiting trial.Devon and Cornwall Police revealed this week that detectives were probing whether Desborough was responsible for the deaths of four more people who had coincided with him at a homeless shelter.The clips were filmed on June 3 last year - the last day Desborough's second victim Daniel Coleman, 43, was seen alive, and weeks after Claudio Aquilino, 57, was murdered by him.Desborough, wearing black shorts and a jumper, is seen throwing punches and bobbing around as he challenges the group in turn to boxing-style spar sessions.He takes on a girl with black hair, holding his hands behind his back as he tries to dodge, but receiving at least one slap to the face - before stumbling backwards.The former construction boss then squares off with two boys, flailing his arms and exchanging blows as a group of other teenagers watches from afar.The video, obtained by The Sun, was taken on the same day that Desborough had been drinking at pubs in Truro with Mr Coleman, who called 101 to report concerns about his soon-to-be murderer. James Desborough was filmed sparring with a group of teenagers in Truro town centre on June 3, 2025 - the day his second victim was seen for the last time Desborough, who had weeks earlier murdered Claudio Aquilino, took on a girl with black hair and at least two boys from her group James Desborough, 40, was yesterday jailed for life for butchering two menHe told the operator his wife had friends who would 'do this and that' to him, but did not give Desborough's full name.Mr Coleman was reported missing and police mounted a search, with officers in July being taken to Desborough's remote woodland cabin near St Austell, Cornwall, by their enquiries.It was by chance that they stumbled across remains of Mr Aquilino in a stream running next to the cabin - the first of 1,900 burned bone fragments - who is thought to have been murdered shortly after he was last seen on April 17.Parts of Mr Coleman's dismembered body, including his torso, legs and feet, were later found in a shallow grave nearby.Desborough met both Mr Aquilino and Mr Coleman at Sandy Lodge, a shelter in Newquay for the homeless and drug dependent, and accessed their bank accounts after killing them to make it appear both men were still alive.While awaiting trial for their murders, he strangled to death his prison cellmate, 65-year-old Steven Kempster, for snoring too loudly, and was earlier this year handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 19 years.Desborough had fallen into addiction and begun living off-grid on land he bought in Paramood Woods, Sticker, where he would occasionally let people camp - including Mr Coleman.Jurors were told that he had been in a love triangle with Mr Coleman and his wife Hannah Cresswell, whom he met at Sandy Lodge, a shelter in Newquay for the homeless and drug dependent. Desborough was caught on CCTV with Mr Coleman at a pub in Truro on June 3 - the same day the sparring footage was recorded Desborough was also caught on CCTV on the night he murdered his cellmate Steven Kempster, 65, at HMP Exeter while awaiting trial for the murders of Mr Coleman and Mr AquilinoTexts sent by Desborough in the lead up to Mr Coleman's murder revealed his 'escalating anger' towards him in 'vivid and unambiguous terms', prosecutor Ahmed Hossain KC told the jury, including a message warning he was 'absolutely bloodthirsty'.Just weeks earlier, Mr Aquilino also had the misfortune of making Desborough's acquaintance at Sandy Lodge. He rang police in terror on the day before he was last seen, April 17 2025, telling the operator that Desborough was 'really off his head' and trying to drag him into criminality - in a last-ditch cry for help similar to Mr Coleman's.At Desborough's lair, police also found handwritten notes in which he described himself as 'a killer, ready to kill and execute any predators'.There were other handwritten notes including one headed 'Bug out list' and another titled 'Hostiles' which included the entry 'Dan' with three crosses beside it - an apparent reference to Mr Coleman.Desborough was present at various points during the police searches and mentioned casually to a forensic biologist on the scene that he 'particularly enjoyed the dismemberment scenes' in the US TV series Dexter.Prosecutor Mr Hossain told jurors: 'That is a series which involves scenes of dismemberment and disposal of bodies.'There are many, many people who are fans of the television programme Dexter but, on the behalf of the prosecution, when you consider that comment by Mr Desborough together with the fact that two dismembered bodies were found on his land, that the comment takes on a particular significance.' Daniel Coleman, 43, was murdered by Desborough after he and his wife became embroiled in a love triangle with him Claudio Aquilino, 57, was killed by Desborough in April 2025 after meeting him at a homeless shelter in CornwallThe court also heard that Desborough had made plans to leave the UK weeks before he was arrested.At trial, Desborough mounted a risible defence, claiming a 'series of unfortunate circumstances' had seen him come across the two men already dead on his land and he had simply decided to 'destroy' their remains.He told jurors: 'I don't think I was very well mentally or emotionally at that time. I was suffering from drug abuse, drinking - I think I lost all grip on reality.'It also emerged that Desborough bought 'a large beef roast' after dismembering Mr Coleman, but he insisted it was not 'unpleasant' and 'just every day life'.When asked why he had written 'I am a killer' in his diary, Desborough claimed: 'I was experimenting with creative writing and journalism.'It can now be revealed that while Desborough was on remand at HMP Exeter awaiting trial for the double murder, he strangled his cellmate, Mr Kempster, whom he had started to find irritating due to his snoring and his habit of returning Desborough's cutlery unwashed.Prison staff discovered Mr Kempster lying dead on the floor of the cell on the morning of September 12 last year, with Desborough trying to claim his cellmate must have fallen from his bunk in the night and suffered fatal injuries.Giving evidence at Exeter Crown Court earlier this year, Desborough accepted he had told other inmates he would give Mr Kempster a beating, but insisted it was banter. Desborough is believed to have committed the murders in a woodland shack where he was living off grid near St Austell, Cornwall Desborough posted menacing photos of his increasingly chaotic life outdoors on his social media profile Desborough, a father-of-two, appears to have dropped out of society after once running his own construction company He eventually claimed he had killed Mr Kempster in self-defence after they got into a fight because his cellmate had touched his penis and said of his reasons for changing his story: 'I was delusional and hoping there could be another cause of death.'Det Supt 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 both men of dignity and their families of the opportunity to say goodbye.'Desborough then set about spending their money and 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.'This was an extremely challenging and complex investigation, which required painstaking detective work and extremely detailed forensic examination in a challenging physical environment.'