A man raised by a 'Dexter' serial killer says he was mentally and physically abused by his stepfather, and was left bleeding after being tattooed at the age of 17.
Shane Allsopp, 29, says his childhood was filled with violence, drugs and intimidation after his mum began dating James Desborough, 40, when Shane was 10.
On one occasion, Shane alleges Desborough threw him across the kitchen and hurled a chair at him after they disagreed about Shane getting a job.
When Shane was 17, he says he was sitting at the kitchen table when Desborough pressured him into taking a bong before forcibly tattooing a crescent moon onto his arm.
On July 3, 2025, Shane received a text from his younger half-brother that read: "My dad is going to prison, he murdered someone."
Desborough was later sentenced to life in prison on July 29, 2026, for killing and dismembering two vulnerable men before burning and burying their remains in woodland. The triple killer had previously been jailed for strangling his cellmate to death while being held on remand.
Shane said he thought what he was reading was "insane" but was not shocked that his stepfather had murdered three men.
Shane, a store manager, from Saint Newlyn East, Cornwall, said: "I knew he was a violent man and he had history – and I knew drugs would have been involved.
"He would grow weed in our loft, there would be cocaine in the fridge, and he would take various drugs in front of us.
"On one occasion, he was taking a bong at the kitchen table. I remember him saying that I was boring because I didn't want to smoke weed.
"He really started pushing me, so I had some of the bong with him as I was pressured. Then he started tattooing his leg; he asked if I wanted one and I said yes.
"He started to do it; he rammed the tattoo gun into my arm, it was painful – I knew it shouldn't have been hurting so much.
"I looked down at my arm, and it was pouring with blood; he was carrying on and wouldn't let me leave until he finished."
Shane hasn't been able to get the tattoo removed. He said: "I'm too scared to get it covered as I'm kind of traumatised from the pain and memory associated."
Desborough was in a relationship with Shane's mum for 12 years. Shane said if Desborough didn't get his own way, he would resort to violence.
"He knew how to antagonise and push buttons; he was a narcissistic man who knew how to get under someone and make them feel small," Shane said.
"On one occasion he threw me across the kitchen and threw a chair at me. I was only 17 when it happened; it was the summer, and I refused to get a full-time job – he lashed out and went crazy."
Shane said Desborough was "erratic and violent" and he grew up fearing for his safety.
On one occasion, Shane alleges that Desborough forced him and his brother to have a fight after they had an argument. Shane, who shared his story with Sell Us Your Story, said: "It was a volatile environment to grow up in and around, but at the same time I didn't know anything else."
Man Raised by ‘Dexter’ Serial Killer Recalls Forced Tattoo at 17