A 39-year-old man has been charged with murder after the death of a fellow inmate at a prison in Devon, police have said.

James Desborough has been charged with the murder of 65-year-old Steven Kempster who died after an incident at HMP Exeter on Monday.

Desborough, from Cornwall, is in police custody and is due to appear before Exeter magistrates court on Thursday, Devon and Cornwall police said.

A spokesperson for the force said on Wednesday: “We received a report from the prison that Mr Kempster was found deceased within his cell at around 5.40am on Monday 15 September. His next-of-kin have been informed.”

Helen Phillips, a senior crown prosecutor for CPS South West, said in a statement: “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.”

HMP Exeter, which opened in 1853, is a men’s category B prison with a capacity of about 561 inmates.