POLICE investigating murders in Cornwall have acted swiftly to calm speculation after reports were posted of “multiple bodies” found in woods in the county.

The media reports followed comments made by Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez in a meeting on Friday, July 25, that bodies had been found in woods at Sticker.

When asked about the matter by the Voice on Friday, the police directed us to a “statement following comments made by the police and crime commissioner today”.

The statement contained information from Detective Superintendent Jon Bancroft, who said: “We currently have three separate murder investigations being conducted in the Cornwall area.

“I have oversight of all of these investigations at this time and can confirm they are being carried out independently of each other and are not believed to be linked.

“I can categorically state that we have recovered remains believed to be those of Daniel Coleman only from an area of woodland in Sticker. No other remains have been located at this scene to date.”

There has been an ongoing significant police presence in the woods at Sticker, west of St Austell.

Det Supt Bancroft added: “James Desborough has been charged with the murder of Daniel Coleman and will next appear before Truro Crown Court on August 8.

“It is imperative that we continue to respect the integrity of the formal court process and ensure the administration of justice is not compromised in any way.

“We hope members of public understand that, for this reason, we cannot comment further on the defendant or the investigation.

“I would also urge people not to speculate on this case, particularly on social media, and risk prejudicing these proceedings.

“Publication of material which does so could lead to a criminal offence under the Contempt of Court Act.”

Police said previously that James Desborough is 39 and from Old Oak Woods in Lower Sticker.

As well as the Sticker case, police are investigating murders in Newquay and near Probus.

On Friday evening, commissioner Alison Hernandez said she was trying to be helpful when she responded to an operational question at the Police and Crime Panel meeting held earlier in the day, “however, I was not fully up to date with the facts of the investigation. I apologise for any alarm this may have caused.

“The police have operational primacy over these matters. Any investigation will unfold rapidly and I was not in possession of all the facts at that time.”