Woman's boyfriend brutally tortured to death in own home by her ex-partner
A woman's boyfriend was brutally tortured to death in his own home by her ex-partner, a court has heard.
Thomas Campbell's face was 'disfigured' during a ferocious and repeated attack carried out by girlfriend Demi-Lee Driver's "obsessed' ex.
The horrific crime was carried out by John Belfield, along with two others including Thomas Campbell's ex wife, who, fuelled by jealousy and rage, wanted to send a murderous message to Demi.
Hours after Demi tried to text and phone Thomas, the true horror of what had happened on Riverside in Mossley near Manchester on July 2, 2022 emerged.
The couple's new build home was taped off by police for two weeks after the incident, as cops combed the scene for clues and the 31-year-old was brought down by an intricate probe which, used his phone data to track his movements, Manchester Evening News reports.
Belfield sent a series of vile messages to her in the week leading up to the killing, detailing exactly what he thought of her, the court heard.
As they continued to row, Belfield told her: 'You will never have a boyfriend you will have to move country give it a week and you will see why and what happens when you take the pi**'.
In the lead-up to that the murder on July 2, a tracking device had been placed on Thomas Campbell's car, with the help of Thomas's former wife Coleen Campbell who used their children to confirm his whereabouts.
Belfield goaded Thomas about how close he was getting to his ex-wife. "I'm going to sh** her for the point of it as well as saying you like her you soft boy,' Belfield told him in a message, days before murdering him.
Thomas was then ambushed at his front door by three men, one of which was Belfield, and bundled into his home.
Inside that house, he was stabbed, strangled, and had boiling water poured on his genitals. Blood coated the walls after the horrific attack.
He suffered significant facial injuries, a hint that his attackers deliberately disfigured him.
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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.
Stephen Cleworth, who Belfield also recruited and planted the tracking device on Campbell's car, was convicted of manslaughter. 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 was arrested in Suriname in March 2023 and eventually flown back to Manchester a year later.
After a month long trial in July 2025, Belfield was found guilty of murder and conspiracy to rob. Jurors were unanimous on both counts. He faces a huge minimum term and will be sentenced next month.
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