Killer who tortured love rival to death is jailed after he plotted gruesome murder with victim's glam ex-wife
Thomas Campbell was discovered naked and bound with duct tape in his hallway after he was ambushed on his doorstep.
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The 38-year-old was then dragged inside and tortured to death in a two-hour horror ordeal.
Before his death, Thomas had been dating John Belfield's ex Demi-Lee Driver and he was "hostile" about the relationship.
The 31-year-old masterminded the plot to murder Thomas at his home in Mossley, Greater Manchester, using intel passed to him by the victim's ex-wife, Coleen Campbell.
He has now been jailed for life with a minimum of 37 years after being convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Graham said: "Thomas Campbell was no saint. Like you, he was involved in the sale and distribution of drugs. He was also a human being.
'The manner of his death was horrific. His family and friends have had to listen to the description of his injuries.
'His father has described his family's prolific grief - it's plain he was greatly loved.'
Campbell, 38, was previously jailed for 13 years after she shared intelligence of Thomas' whereabouts to Belfield.
The mum-of-four was captured on CCTV in her pink pyjamas chatting to Belfield for 25 minutes in her garden just hours before the savage attack.
She and Belfield had met up and also exchanged 35 phonecalls and 68 messages as she conspired to have her ex-husband robbed.
During this time, Campbell divulged key information about Thomas - including details of his van's registration plate and his house number.
Further footage released by police showed a tracking device being placed on Thomas' car as he dropped his daughter off at school.
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Belfield, Reece Steven, 29, and Stephen Cleworth, 38, used this to conduct reconnaissance missions to the dad's home.
The court heard Belfield was "obsessed" with his ex Demi-Lee, who was now dating Thomas, and had messaged her before the killing, warning: "You're mine".
He also text his ex, saying: "You will never have a boyfriend you will have to move country give it a week and you will see why and happens when you take the p***."
In the lead-up to the brutal murder, Belfield also sent Thomas a message, saying: "I'm going to s**g her [Campbell] for the point of it as well as saying you like her you soft boy."
The prosecutor said a few days after the messages, Thomas died in the "most terrible way".
On July 3, 2022, three men "pounced" on the dad as he arrived home late from a night out.
Blood splattered the walls of his smart new-build home as he was bound and brutalised while being tortured for two hours.
A post mortem found injuries to his head and neck suggested a "sustained blunt sharp force physical assault".
The dad also had burns on his body that were caused by a "hot liquid such as hot water".
He had been dragged around the house as the attackers took as much money or drugs as they could get their hands on.
Thomas was then left to die in the hallway before being discovered the following day by a neighbour.
Belfield fled to South Africa following the gruesome killing and sent a series of chilling messages.
In one exchange with "right-hand man" Reece Steven, he callously joked the victim must have "bled everywhere".
Steven, who has been jailed for Thomas' murder, replied: "Tommy crumble. Dripping in tom juice everywhere."
Campbell was jailed last year for 13 years after being convicted of manslaughter but cleared of murder.
Steven, 29, was caged for at least 37 years for murder while Stephen Cleworth, 38, was handed a minimum term of 12 years for manslaughter.
Wendy Logan, District Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: 'John Belfield was responsible for leading a meticulously planned attack to kill Thomas Campbell.
"Evidence presented by the prosecution made it clear that Belfield had orchestrated this attack and left no stone unturned to ensure it would be successful including organising surveillance of Campbell's every move and even conducting dress rehearsals for their plans.
"Belfield then took extreme steps to evade justice by removing his fingerprints and DNA from the scene of the crime and fleeing on a plane to Suriname in South America – a country where he had no previous connections.
"Despite the 4,500-mile distance, Belfield remained in constant contact with his co-conspirators during their trial, even offering them advise over text message about their trial strategy.
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