Drug dealer murdered love rival with help from victim's ex-wife
John Belfield, 31, plotted the killing of Thomas Campbell, whose body was discovered bound with extra-strength duct tape in his hallway.
Belfield became enraged after Campbell began a relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Demi-Lee Driver.
Campbell's estranged wife Coleen Campbell, furious with him for cheating before their split, had shared his whereabouts despite being warned that he would be robbed and 'violence would be necessary'.
Belfield led a gang of three men who were captured on CCTV bursting into Campbell's home in Mossley, Greater Manchester, to rob and torture him. They tied him up before mutilating his face and pouring boiling liquid over his genitals.
After leaving the 38-year-old father of two to die, Belfield fled to Suriname before he was caught by local police dealing drugs and hauled back to the UK.
Ms Campbell previously stood trial in Belfield's absence and was found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob alongside Stephen Cleworth, 38. Reece Steven, Belfield's right-hand man, was convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob.
Campbell's mutilated body was discovered by neighbours the morning after his death when they noticed his front door had been left open and saw blood in the hallway. Duct tape had been wound 'multiple times' around his wrists from a roll bought from a B&Q store in nearby Oldham. He had suffered 61 separate injuries.
Prosecutors said Belfield wanted to steal items of value from Campbell's home and was also motivated by personal hostility towards him.
A 2023 trial heard Ms Campbell had guided Belfield to the father of her two children by sharing details about his whereabouts.
During his trial, Belfield admitted to earning around £2,000 a week dealing cannabis and cocaine, but denied murdering Campbell.
Belfield insisted that his contact with Ms Campbell over Instagram in the run-up to the murder had nothing to do with a plan to rob her ex-husband or being 'jealous' about his relationship with Ms Driver.
However, jurors heard how he 'very carefully planned' Campbell's killing by placing a tracker device on his car and carrying out reconnaissance on his home.
Belfield attacked Campbell with Steven and a third man, who has not been identified.
Co-conspirator Cleworth was not present during the murder, but planted the tracker and acted as a driver.
Belfield will be sentenced on Friday, but the judge told him the only possible sentence was life imprisonment.
Wendy Logan, the 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 advice over text message about their trial strategy.'
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