Man charged with murder after death of prisoner

18 Sep 2025 12:43 PM

The Crown Prosecution Service yesterday announced that James Desborough, 39, has been charged with the murder of prisoner Steven Kempster, 65, at HMP Exeter on Monday 15 September.

Helen Phillips from the Crown Prosecution Service yesterday said:

“The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute James Desborough for the murder of Steven Kempster.

“Our prosecutors have established that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.

“We have worked closely with Devon and Cornwall Police as they carried out their investigation.”

James Desborough will appear at Exeter Magistrates’ Court on 18 September.

We remind all concerned that proceedings against the defendant are active and he has the right to a fair trial.

It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.

Notes to Editors

• James Desborough (DOB: 08/01/1986) is charged with one count of murdering Steven Kempster (DOB 12/4/60).
• Helen Phillips is a Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS South West.
• The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider.
• The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, which can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of what it might be possible to prove to a court, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.