Belfield was one of three men who lay in wait as Campbell arrived home late on a Saturday night in July 2022

15:38, 03 Jul 2025Updated 16:03, 03 Jul 2025

John Belfield (left) is on trial accused of murdering Thomas Campbell(Image: GMP)

A drug dealer who plotted and executed the horrific murder of a love rival ‘tortured to death’ in his own home faces a life sentence after being convicted of murder.

John Belfield, 31, recruited a team to help him kill Thomas Campbell after he began a relationship with Demi-Lee Driver, his killer’s ex-partner.

Belfield was one of three men who lay in wait as Campbell arrived home late on a Saturday night on July 2, 2022.

Manchester Crown Court heard the killing followed a week of hostile surveillance carried out on 38-year-old Mr Campbell by Belfield and his conspirators.

A tracking device was placed on his car as Mr Campbell dropped off his child at school, a dress rehearsal was carried out and a planned attack was hurriedly aborted.

When they struck, Campbell could be heard to scream as the trio attacked and subdued him on his front drive, before bundling him inside the house on Riverside in Mossley, Tameside.

Thomas Campbell(Image: GMP)

For the next two hours he was stabbed, strangled and had hot liquid poured on his genitals. Prosecutors said he was ‘tortured to death’, having suffered 61 separate injuries.

A huge murder investigation was launched, which shockingly revealed that Campbell’s ex-wife had been in on the plot. Coleen Campbell had fed her former spouse’s killers vital information about his whereabouts.

She even used her daughter to confirm where he lived. The pair, who had two children together, had been together for 10 years, but divorced in 2019 following a messy break-up.

Coleen Campbell was found guilty of manslaughter following a trial in 2023, for her role in the horrendous plot. Reece Steven, who Belfield recruited into the crime, and was one of the three attackers to kill Thomas Campbell, was found guilty of murder.

Left to right: Stephen Cleworth, Coleen Campbell and Reece Steven(Image: GMP)

Stephen Cleworth, who Belfield also recruited and planted the tracking device on Campbell’s car, was convicted of manslaughter. He was not present at the scene as he was on a ‘bender’ at a swinger’s club. The trio were all also convicted of conspiring to rob Thomas Campbell.

The third attacker who formed part of the group who attacked Campbell remains unknown and is wanted by police.

Coleen Campbell, Steven and Cleworth were all jailed in 2023. But Belfield evaded police and fled the country two days after the murder.

He eventually holed up in Suriname, a former Dutch colony north of Brazil, joining a cousin who was also hiding out there. He was arrested in Suriname in March 2023 and eventually flown back to Manchester a year later.

Reece Steven, Stephen Cleworth and John Belfield at the Boat and Horses pub in Chadderton, Oldham(Image: GMP)

At his trial, Belfield claimed he had agreed with Steven and Cleworth to try and steal drugs from Campbell, which they believed he hid in fields across Tameside and east Manchester.

He said Coleen Campbell suggested locations where the drugs would be buried. Belfield maintained that he did not want ‘trouble’ with Campbell and that he was not jealous of the relationship with his ex.

A still of CCTV footage showing the moment Thomas Campbell was ‘pounced on'(Image: GMP)

But after a month long trial, Belfield was found guilty of murder and conspiracy to rob. Jurors were unanimous on both counts. He faces a huge minimum term.

In 2023, Steven, the only defendant in the previous trial to be convicted of murder, was ordered to serve life with a minimum of 37 years. Cleworth was also handed a life sentence, to serve a minimum of 12 years. Coleen Campbell was jailed for 13 years.

Detective Sergeant Paul Davies, the lead officer on the case for Greater Manchester Police, said it was satisfying to see Belfield finally face justice in a British court, after working to see him brought back to the UK from South America.

John Belfield(Image: GMP)

“I wanted to get him back and see him in court, not over there,” the officer said. “I wanted him to be brought back here and face justice.”

He said Mr Campbell’s family was supportive of the police investigation. The officer added: “All the while, you’ve the family who you’re speaking to, who knew he was in custody [in Suriname]. The [Campbell] family were brilliant.

“They’ve been so dignified throughout this and they’ve let us get on with our job and been very supportive. It has been really tough for them.”

Belfield is due to be sentenced at a later date.