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Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The crucial mistake that caused downfall of ruthless gang who tortured drug dealer to death in quiet cul-de-sac
Planned with military precision, the plot to attack and torture Thomas Campbell could have easily remained unsolved today. Despite leaving his bloodstains all over the hallway of his £350,000 townhouse, and ransacking the bedrooms, the gang who trussed up the 38-year-old and abandoned him to die left almost no clues. Yet a moment of inspiration from a police CCTV analyst was to smash the wall of secrecy - and put four dangerous people behind bars. They include drug dealer John Belfield, 31, who has been given a life sentence for Campbell's murder, serving at least 37 years behind bars for murder and conspiracy to rob as he plotted to rob his rival of drugs. At just after 11pm on July 2, 2022, Thomas Campbell returned home to Mossley, Greater Manchester in his van. Having been released from prison after being convicted of money laundering over his suspected involvement in East Manchester's cocaine trade, the tattooed bodybuilder was no stranger to the criminal underworld. But having only moved into the property after splitting from his wife Coleen – who had been spared jail over the same offence – he may have been confident that potential enemies would not know where he lived. So an unfamiliar van parked on his next door neighbour's drive apparently did not ring any alarm bells. The heavily-built father-of-two stood no chance as three men leapt out of the van, slashing at him with a blade and overpowering him. During a fierce struggle captured on a neighbour's CCTV he was bundled inside before being subjected to a horrific and ultimately fatal torture session. Mr Campbell suffered 61 separate injuries during the two-hour session of violence, which also saw him robbed of drugs, cash and valuables. He was stabbed, punched and stamped on before boiling water was poured on his buttocks. Neighbours found his bloodied and mutilated body in the hallway the following morning, naked except for his socks and trussed up with extra-strength duct tape. After police were called, the property was combed by forensics teams. Yet no trace of fingerprints, DNA or hair fibres were found. The trio had taken with them both the hard drive of the home CCTV system and the Ring doorbell from the front porch. As they learned the victim had died of his horrific injuries, the gang set about disguising the Vauxhall Combo van in which they had driven to and from the crime scene. Hidden in a dealership forecourt and disguised with false number plates, it has never been traced, MailOnline understands. So who were the murder gang, and how had they tracked him down? Locating Mr Campbell had been a challenge for the 'mastermind' behind the attack, fellow drug dealer John Belfield. The successful career criminal had vowed revenge on his love rival for sleeping with his ex-girlfriend, Demi-Lee Driver. A key source of intelligence about where Mr Campbell was living was someone who would never have been expected even by close family. Coleen Campbell had secretly turned against her cocaine kingpin ex-husband over his alleged cheating. It was she who tipped Belfield off about his movements, even to the extent of confirming his new address with her daughter. But initially she successfully avoided arousing suspicion following his brutal killing. Posing as a grieving ex-partner, the shop assistant turned beautician posted a series of 'tributes' featuring broken heart emojis and warm words. One read: '13 years and 2 beautiful children. Forever great full [sic]. 'I would do anything to hear your giddy laugh or your none [sic] stop moaning just one more time.' Faced with a blank slate from the forensics team, detectives focused their attention on the grainy footage of the victim being ambushed on his driveway. As they pored over the violent clip, something else caught the eye of an analyst. One of the gang reappeared 25 minutes later and briefly stooped beneath Mr Campbell's parked van. At the same time there was a flash of light from a torch or mobile phone. It led to a hunch – had they placed a tracker on the vehicle to follow his movements? And was it removed once he had been overpowered to cover their tracks? Reece Steven (left), 29, was convicted of murder and was jailed for life with a minimum of 37 years whilst Stephen Cleworth (right), 38, was found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for 12 years An officer rang a likely tracker firm - and within the hour confirmation came back that it was 'in the Peak Forest Canal, still switched on'. Police immediately searched the canal – and while they never found the tracker, what they did discover was even more important. From its depths they found a mobile phone which had been 'bent' in an effort to destroy the data it contained. Specialist officers were able to establish that the handset had been central to the plot, with a series of incriminating messages recovered. Also nearby police found crucial evidence including the dead man's wallet and driving licence plus a burned flask used in his torture. Senior investigating officer Det Sgt Paul Davies said the tracker's discovery was 'key in piecing everything together'. As for how the tracker was put on the van in the first place, CCTV and phone analysis would show it was one of Coleen Campbell's many jaw-dropping acts of betrayal. Her ex-husband had continued to collect their daughter from primary school – a mundane act of domesticity which Coleen ensured would effectively condemn him to death. She told Belfield of the arrangement, enabling his 'driver' Stephen Cleworth to plant the tracker on the vehicle while he was waiting at the school gates on June 27, 2022. The gang used it to monitor Mr Campbell's movements via the disposable 'burner' mobile phone – and crucially ensure they knew when he would be at home. That evening Belfield and 'right-hand man' Reece Steven carried out two 'hostile reconnaissance' trips to the target's house – also accompanied on one occasion by Cleworth. Two days later Belfield met up with Coleen, spending half-an-hour sitting in his Range Rover where he is believed to have demonstrated to her how he can track her ex-husband's van. That evening Belfield messaged her to say he had 'just left' his Mossley home, with Mr Campbell then arriving with their children at her house in Clayton. Coleen confirmed the coast was clear by informing Belfield there was no-one else at Mr Campbell's home. That cleared the way for a third reconnaissance trip, with a hooded Belfield and Cleworth caught on CCTV loitering outside the property. Later on the evening of June 29 the plot entered a new phase – the 'dress rehearsal'. Now confident of his movements, at 11.24pm a Vauxhall van which police believe contained Belfield, Steven, Cleworth and a fourth man was parked on the next-door driveway – a minute before Mr Campbell arrived home in his own van. Having established that the target simply went indoors without being suspicious of the unfamiliar vehicle, Belfield sent Coleen the single word text: 'Tomorrow.' The following day – June 30 – Belfield and Coleen spent 22 minutes talking on the phone before he and Reece Steven visited a B&Q store in Oldham to buy the 'torture kit'. Paying in cash they bought a blow torch, a plastic bag, a gas canister and extra-strength duct tape – the same brand that would later be used to truss up Mr Campbell. That evening, after leaving their flashy cars in safe locations, mobile phone evidence showed Campbell, Steven and Cleworth heading to Mossley. The plot was about to be put into effect. Just before 11.15pm they parked their Vauxhall van next-door to Mr Campbell's home – knowing as a result of the tracker that he was just five minutes away himself. Detectives believe they were poised to 'surge' and overpower him. But for all the planning, an unpredictable twist meant the intended victim was spared, at least for now. Instead of going into the house, Mr Campbell went straight to nearby woodland with his dog. The gang – one of whom was carrying a large bag believed to contain the 'torture kit' - set off on foot in pursuit. But their unwitting quarry evaded them, returning home by a different route – 'seemingly completely oblivious of how close he had come to a terrible encounter with the men who were looking for him', prosecutor Nicholas de la Poer told jurors. The trio left empty-handed and returned to their cars. The next day, July 1, Mr Campbell enjoyed another stay of execution – this time because he was looking after his children at his house. With the ruthless attack plan settled, it would seem the gang 'drew the line at attacking him while his children were in the house', prosecutors said. The only possible source of the information about the childcare arrangement was Coleen Campbell, police believe. Instead, July 2 was chosen to launch the attack – but this time there was another snag. Despite frantic messages, Belfield's driver Stephen Cleworth could not be contacted. Incredibly he was 'on a bender', the court heard – at a swingers club in Rochdale called Decadence. At 11.42am Belfield wrote: 'This is what I mean about you mate you can't even work with you bro.' Over the course of the afternoon he sent other messages in a vain effort to recruit a replacement driver, with several telephone conversations with Coleen. In desperation over the day-long radio silence, Belfield sent further messages to Cleworth telling him 'Make sure you are ready for 8 mate' and 'We're on'. Shortly before 8pm Belfield arrived outside Cleworth's house in the black Range Rover, waiting for nearly 25 minutes before giving up. Just after 9pm he and Steven were pictured at the Flavour Factory takeaway, before Belfield again called Coleen. CCTV shows her walking outside her home address to take the call – no doubt because she didn't want her children to hear what she was discussing. At 10.30pm Belfield and Steven were given a lift to Mossley by associate Karl Murphy. Mr Murphy – who said Belfield told him he planned to 'meet my bird' - was later cleared of participating in the activities of an organised crime group over his involvement. Finally at just after 11pm the Vauxhall van again arrived at the house next to Mr Campbell's, just four minutes before he arrived home. Taking him unawares, Belfield, Steven and a third unknown man 'rushed' him and attacked him with a blade. 'Outnumbered and overwhelmed,' the trial heard that as much as he struggled, he stood no chance. Having found the burner phone, detectives were able to access the incriminating messages as the plot unfolded. They were also able to identify members of the gang and establish their highly suspicious movements in the run-up to the killing. And to the astonishment of the dead man's family, his betrayal by ex-wife Coleen was exposed. With Belfield in hiding despite police circulating him as wanted, she and the other gang members went on trial. A mobile phone recovered following his arrest revealed he had swapped messages with 'right-hand man' Steven in the run-up to the case, discussing the strength of the evidence police had on him. In February 2023, after being convicted of manslaughter, Coleen Campbell was jailed for 13 years. Steven was convicted of Mr Campbell's murder and given a life sentence with a minimum term of 37 years. Meanwhile Cleworth – the 'driver' who attached the tracker but was uncontactable on a 'bender' when the killing took place – was convicted of manslaughter and ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years. Steven, of Middleton, Cleworth, of Heywood, and Campbell, of Manchester, were all also convicted of conspiracy to rob. The following month Belfield was arrested in Suriname – setting in train a slow process which led to his deportation to the UK and conviction. However the investigation remains ongoing, with detectives still trying to trace the third unidentified member of the torture gang.
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Daily Mail
British cocaine dealer fled to South American bolthole after masterminding brutal murder of 'love rival' - only to end up in hellhole prison
A British cocaine dealer who masterminded the brutal killing of a love rival tried to evade justice by fleeing 4,500 miles away to South America - only to end up in a hellhole jail after being was arrested by local police for drug offences. Days after murdering 38-year-old Thomas Campbell in his own home in Mossley, Greater Manchester on July 2, 2022, John Belfield, 31, travelled on a stolen passport to Anglesey and onwards through Dublin, Amsterdam, Spain and Brazil. He finally ended up in the former Dutch colony of Suriname, an untouched rainforest- covered melting pot which remains firmly off the tourist track. But rather than being attracted by its colonial architecture or nature reserves teeming with wildlife, among its key appeals was a lack of an extradition treaty with the UK. Additionally, its reputation as a tropical bolthole had already served as a magnet to Belfield's cocaine-dealing on-the-run gangster cousin Paul Cooper. 'It's not a very nice country to be honest,' Belfield confessed to Manchester Crown Court during a trial that ended on Thursday with a jury finding him guilty of murder. On Friday, he was jailed for life, serving at least 37 years behind bars before he is eligible for parole. Before the killing of gangster Thomas Campbell made him Manchester's most wanted, Belfield had forged an illicit living as a wholesale drug dealer. Hiding out on the other side of the Atlantic, he was to turn to the one occupation he knew – and it would swiftly prove his downfall. In March 2023 – just after his 'right-hand man' and driver had been convicted over their roles in the killing alongside Mr Campbell's ex-wife Coleen – he was arrested on drug offences at a hotel in the capital, Paramaribo, and thrown into jail. Belfield was no stranger to the inside of a prison cell – his previous convictions include theft and affray – but he described conditions in Surinamese custody as 'pretty horrendous'. Cells are shared by as many as six inmates, no bedding is provided and shower facilities are communal. Belfield's cover story quickly aroused suspicion, and the Suriname authorities were able to establish his true identity by reading British newspaper appeals. They contacted Greater Manchester Police, enabling the manhunt to be called off. But the Suriname authorities were unwilling to give up the fugitive until he had faced justice there, leading to fears of a sentence measured in years before he could be brought back to Britain. Det Sgt Paul Davies, who led the investigation, said the initial reaction to Belfield being traced to Suriname was 'brilliant'. 'But I wanted to get him back and see him in court, not over there. I wanted him to be brought back here, face justice and in front of the family.' Finally in March last year Belfield was released into the custody of Surinamese police who handcuffed him during a commercial trans-Atlantic flight to Amsterdam before the short transfer to Manchester. Belfield's gaunt appearance on arrival was far removed from the well-built figure pictured on wanted posters and he had lost a lot of weight. Looking 'pale, thin and dishevelled', he was arrested by Det Sgt Davies. Asked about his emotions that day, Det Sgt Davies said: 'Relief, but it's not the end, it's like now the hard work starts.' British police praised the co-operation they received from their South American counterparts, who demonstrated they had no wish to see their tiny country seen as a safe haven for European fugitives. Belfield – who made no comment when he was arrested - was driven to prison to await trial over the murder of 38-year-old Mr Campbell. More than 12 months on, jurors at Manchester Crown Court saw another side of him, featuring a 'studious' new look with glasses, smart shirts and a calm, polite demeanour. However it was an act they quickly saw through. The career criminal now faces a sentence likely to be at least as long as accomplice Reece Steven, who is serving a minimum of 37 years, after being convicted of murder. Belfield was the key 'driving force' behind the carefully planned ambush and murder of Mr Campbell at his £350,000 townhouse in Mossley, Greater Manchester. Fuelled by a toxic combination of greed and jealousy, detectives are in no doubt that Belfield and his two henchmen – one of whom remains untraced – were determined to 'humiliate' their victim. Covered in tattoos and muscle-bound, Mr Campbell's appearance was a far cry from the tubby figure pictured during his marriage to Coleen. The couple, who lived in an extended house in the Clayton area of Manchester, had been investigated by police since 2014 over their role in the area's cocaine trade. Under suspicion due to their lavish lifestyle and garage of Mercedes and BMWs, in 2019 the couple both admitted money laundering. Thomas was jailed for two years and Coleen handed a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. The couple split, and by 2022 Thomas Campbell was in a relationship with Demi-Lee Driver – a nursing assistant who, fatefully, was John Belfield's ex. In court, Belfield maintained he had moved on from her and had 'multiple' sexual partners – however the savage crime which was to follow showed his true sense of betrayal. 'He was sending nasty, misogynistic messages to Demi Lee,' a source said. 'It was quite obvious that he saw her as his property. And he didn't like the fact that she was in the relationship with somebody else.' Born in Manchester, Belfield and his younger sister were raised in the eastern suburb of Openshaw by their NHS worker mother, who attended his trial daily. Contemporaries branded him an 'arrogant troublemaker' and it was not long before he embarked on a life of crime. From the age of 18 he was dealing drugs and involved with farming cannabis, although for a time he also made money legitimately through selling and repairing cars. Over the next decade he amassed a string of convictions including for burglary, criminal damage, affray, theft and possession of an offensive weapon. However by his late 20s he had carved out a profitable role as a wholesaler of cocaine and cannabis. Detectives describe him as someone who was 'building a reputation' within organised crime. Belfield was earning up to £2,000-a-week by selling to street dealers – enough to afford to run a white Porsche Boxster - while endeavouring to keep a sufficiently low profile to avoid police attention. Detectives believe he recruited hardman Reece Steven - and potentially the second, unknown attacker - as 'muscle'. 'There's no way John Belfield would have been able to tackle Tom Campbell alone,' one said. During his trial, Belfield maintained his sudden interest in Coleen Campbell – who by now ran her own aesthetics business – was due to being attracted to her. Meanwhile his ex, Ms Driver, was sending him videos of herself dancing naked and saying she wanted to sleep with him again, he claimed. But the grim reality was revealed by the 'sadistic' level of violence meted out on Mr Campbell after he was overpowered and bundled into the hallway of his home. Stripped naked but for a pair of socks and bound with extra-strength duct tape, his face was mutilated, while boiling hot liquid was poured over his genitals. Describing the catalogue of injuries as an effort at 'humiliation', Det Sgt Davies said the brutal violence meted out under Belfield's command was 'another level'. 'I think he wanted to show off a bit as well,' he added. After the gang left, a 999 call was made from his phone – police believe one of his killers dialled the number before leaving the handset beside him, not intending him to die. Det Sgt Davies told Mail Online he believes 'they've panicked and rung 999 from his phone thinking that the ambulance would get there'. Instead, a harrowing recording shows that after the sound of panting and faint breathing from the critically injured victim, the operator ended the call. So it was not until more than nine hours later that neighbours investigated, alerted to the front door being left open, and found his bloodied body. Bizarrely, shortly after her ex-husband was killed, Coleen Campbell visited a psychic, later telling the dead man's mother that facial injuries had been done 'so other girls would not look at him'. The macabre detail was to prove crucial in arousing suspicion that she had prior knowledge of the plot. But it lends support to the theory that Mr Campbell was supposed to survive in order to live with his humiliation.
BBC News
05-07-2025
- BBC News
Moment murderer John Belfield taken off plane and arrested
Police footage has shown the moment a drug dealer who tortured and murdered a love rival was taken off a plane at Manchester Airport as he arrived back in the UK from South America and arrested. John Belfield, 31, was one of a four-strong gang who killed Thomas Campbell in Tameside in July 2022 and he went on the run to Brazil after the Campbell, 38, had been in a relationship with Belfield's former partner, Demi was given a life sentence at Manchester Crown Court on Friday, and ordered to spend a minimum of 34 years and 261 days in prison. Belfield fled Manchester the day after the "horrific" killing, going first to North Wales before catching a ferry to Ireland, Greater Manchester Police then travelled to Amsterdam, France, Spain and then to Brazil before arriving in Suriname, the former Dutch colony on the north eastern coast of South trip home though was far over a year after the murder he was arrested in Suriname for drug offences and had served a year's sentence there before he was returned to Manchester were cries of "rot in hell" from the public gallery at Manchester Crown Court as Belfield was sentenced. In 2022, Belfield had put a tracker on Mr Campbell's car to find out where he lived. On 2 July he lay in wait for him to come home before inflicting hours of torturous violence on him. The gang ambushed him at his front door, assaulted him, and dragged him two hours Mr Campbell was stabbed, strangled and had hot liquid poured on his genitals, the trial heard.A post mortem examination showed he suffered more than 61 Mr Campbell was "tortured to death", Det Sgt Paul Davies said Belfield "cowardly went on the run".When his associates went on trial in 2023, he said Belfield sent messages from abroad "looking to influence proceedings". Belfield showed "complete disregard for the victim and a true lack of remorse, which is testament to his character," Det Sgt Davies the murder inquiry, detectives analysed hundreds of hours of CCTV and nearly 3,000 exhibits, spoke to more than 200 witnesses and arrested 19 people, the force said. Belfield's associates, Reece Steven, 29, of Middleton, Steven Cleworth, 38, of Heywood, and Mr Campbell's ex-wife Coleen Campbell, 38, of Manchester, were also jailed over Mr Campbell's death. Mr Campbell's father, Terry Campbell said in his victim impact statement there were "no words" to describe his family's loss."We all live with a broken heart," he added. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Sun
05-07-2025
- The Sun
How gangster's moll blew apart her life of luxury when absurd lie exposed her as mastermind behind ex's grim murder
GLAM Coleen Campbell painted the perfect picture of a distraught widow after her gangster ex-husband was brutally tortured and killed. But a harrowing court case heard how she helped orchestrate the brutal attack that led to the drug baron's death. 11 11 11 Dad-of-two Thomas Campbell, 38, was ambushed by three men on his doorstep on July 2, 2022. His body was later discovered naked and bound with duct tape in his hallway. 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 worked with Thomas' ex-wife Coleen to arrange the horrendous attack. The pair masterminded the plot to murder the gangster at his home in Mossley, Greater Manchester, with Campbell passing Belfield information on her ex's movements. She even gave him information which she obtained via two children she shared with Thomas, a court heard. Belfield was found guilty of murder and conspiracy to rob following a trial at Manchester Crown Court. He has now been jailed for life with a minimum of 37 years. Campbell, 38, was previously jailed for 13 years after she shared intelligence of Thomas' whereabouts to Belfield. It was not the first time she'd displayed violent tenancies. Days before her the father of her children was killed, Campbell teamed up with three other yobs to attack another victim in the street in Tameside, Greater Manchester. Moment mum beats woman in love triangle attack just days before she killed ex Killer Campbell was seen striking the victim multiple times with a hammer - causing the defenceless woman to fall to the ground. And just hours before the brutal attack on her ex, the mum-of-four was captured on CCTV in her pink pyjamas chatting to Belfield for 25 minutes in her garden. She and Belfield had met up and also exchanged 35 phone calls 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. Campbell helped Belfield plot the brutal ambush because she was furious at her ex for cheating on her before they split. This is despite being told that Thomas would be robbed and "violence would be necessary". 11 'A PSYCHIC TOLD ME' The glam ex-wife slipped up and revealed her involvement in his death when she told Thomas' mum about his injuries. She was chillingly knowledgeable about the exact nature of what he had suffered. Campbell then scrambled to cover up her slip with a flimsy excuse by claiming Thomas had described the attack to a clairvoyant from beyond the grave. She married Thomas in 2011, and the pair enjoyed a very lavish lifestyle funded by the criminal underworld. Their involvement in Manchester's coke trade was exposed when cops began investigating them in 2014. Police were suspicious about their flashy lifestyle as their only legal source of income were benefits and Ms Campbell's part-time job at Matalan. A FLASHY LIFE FUNDED BY DIRTY MONEY Cops seized a Mercedes C63 - which cost £100,935 to £106,935 - and a BMW X5 - of which the prices start from £99,060.00. The couple's home was also found to have a double-storey extension funded by their shady activities. The Campbells pleaded guilty to money laundering at Manchester Crown Court in 2019. Fast forward to 2022, when Thomas' body was found naked and bound at his home. As he was a known drug baron, cops didn't suspect his ex wife - who put on a convincing show. She posted a slew of social media posts about her grief following the loss of her childrens' dad. 11 11 A 'GRIEVING WIDOW' An emotional tribute on Facebook read: "13 years and two beautiful children. Forever grateful. "I would do anything to hear your giddy laugh just one more time." But all along, she had been passing intel to Belfield in the plot that led to Thomas suffering 61 separate injuries at his £350,000 townhouse. Footage released by police showed a tracking device being placed on Thomas' car as he dropped his daughter off at school. 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. 11 11 THOMAS WAS 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." Belfield, who denied being one of the three attackers who ambushed Thomas at his home, was found guilty of torturing his love rival to death after he plotted the grisly murder with the victim's ex. Campbell was jailed last year for 13 years after being convicted of manslaughter but cleared of murder. Following the split with Thomas, she had chillingly text her friend: "Karma is best served cold - and then tables turn real fast. I be the coldest MF you ever met." 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.
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Daily Mail
The pub meeting that led to brutal murder: Cocaine kingpin's killers plot to put tracker on his car before torturing him to death - as video shows fugitive 'mastermind' as he's arrested on plane
To the uninitiated, it could be any pub gathering between three mates. But the footage played to a jury of three men meeting at a watering hole in Chadderton, Oldham on June 27 2022 was not a pleasant social occasion. The trio on camera - John Belfield, Reece Steven and Steven Cleworth - were in fact plotting to place a tracker on a drug-dealing love rival's car, which would later be used to follow him home, steal his drugs and torture him to death. On Friday, Belfield - who fled the country to evade justice for three years - was convicted of masterminding and executing the murder of father-of-two Thomas Campbell, 38, on July 2 2022, days after he met with his co-conspirators. He had become 'obsessed and furious' with Campbell after his victim-to-be began dating his ex-girlfriend, Demi-Lee Driver, whom he branded a 'money grabbing little dog' in a series of threatening messages. Working with Campbell's estranged wife Colleen to trace his movements, Belfield and his co-conspirators hatched a plan to fit a tracker onto a car in order to follow him to his house in Tameside in a white Vauxhall Combo van. The silent CCTV footage obtained from the pub shows Reece Steven, a balding bearded man in a fleece and shorts, grinning as he walks over to Steven Cleworth, dressed all in black with a baseball cap. John Belfield sidles out from behind the table he is sitting at with a cup of coffee in one hand and his mobile phone in the other. Belfield was infuriated with rival drug dealer Campbell (pictured) after he began a relationship with his ex-girlfriend, and conspired to find him and steal his drugs and valuables Belfield, dressed in a blue t-shirt and a black gilet, looks highly animated as he steps out to speak to Reece Steven, who appears fully engaged in the conversation. As they talk, Steven Cleworth paces in the background, using his fingers to lift scraps of food from a discarded plate of food. Shortly after the pub meeting, a tracking device is activated in the presence of Belfield, Cleworth and Steven - later confirmed by police through mobile phone data. Cleworth would later fit the device to Thomas Campbell's car. On July 2, Belfield, Steven and another co-conspirator followed the tracking device to his home - and attacked him as he walked to his front door, dragging him inside. For almost two hours they subjected him to almost unspeakable torture, scoring parallel slashes into his face and binding his feet and hands with duct tape bought in a B&Q store in nearby Oldham. They stripped him, poured boiling water over his genitals and wrapped his arm in a tourniquet after inflicting a slash injury on his arm - not to keep him alive, but to prolong his descent into death. After dealing 61 injuries to Campbell, who could be heard screaming as the attack began, Belfield, Steven and the third attacker sought to remove any evidence of their involvement, stripping the house of a CCTV hard drive and a video doorbell. They then fled the scene in the van and drove to Hyde, six miles away, where they burned Campbell's clothing and disposed of the tracker and a phone. The vehicle's number plates were swapped and a roof vent was removed to change its appearance. It has never been found. Given his status as a major drug dealer, Mr Campbell had many enemies, meaning suspicion did not at first focus on Coleen, who had by then broken up with him after accusations of cheating. Campbell's body was found the next morning by horrified neighbours after they saw blood in the hallway through the ajar front door. Cleworth, the other pub plotter, did not take part in the brutal act himself. He had an alibi - hanging out at a swingers' club called Decadence in Rochdale. 'Gangster's moll' Colleen Campbell - who helped her husband's killers after he allegedly cheated before they split - sought to cover her tracks with stomach-churning social media tributes to the man she had just helped to kill. 'Forever great full (sic)... I would do anything to hear your giddy laugh or your none stop (sic) moaning just one more time,' she wrote. Chillingly, she shared a meme on the evening of July 2, hours before Campbell was killed which read: 'I don't accept apologies, you did what made you happy at the expense of my emotions and I understand but I won't respect it.' She even had the gall to share a news article reporting on the fact Steven Cleworth had been charged in connection with Campbell's death just over a week later. Justice did not wait long to catch up with her, nor with Cleworth, or Reece Steven. In March last year, 29-year-old Steven was found guilty of murder with conspiracy to rob, and is serving at least 37 years behind bars. Cleworth, 38, was found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob, and is serving 12 years. Ms Campbell, 38, was found guilty of the same and is serving 13 years - of which she must serve at least two-thirds before being eligible for parole. She was foiled after providing intricate details of her husband's injuries to his mother - claiming to have been told them from beyond the grave by a psychic. It took longer to find John Belfield, who seemingly vanished in the hours after Thomas Campbell was found dying in his hallway. After helping to beat, stab and torture his love rival to death, Belfield disappeared, taking a ferry to Ireland from Wales before travelling to Amsterdam, France and Spain. He then left Europe altogether, flying to Brazil and eventually settling in the former Dutch colony of Suriname in South America. All the while, he was texting his co-conspirators with twisted taunts, mocking Campbell's final moments. 'All the lights on but no-one at home. Actually, the lights have been smashed out of him,' he wrote. Reece Steven wrote back: 'Tommy crumble. Dripping in tom juice everywhere... a little bit of Tommy ketchup. He ran out of sauce. Empty bottle. No lid on.' Outrageously, he was even texting his co-conspirators as they stood trial in 2023, helping them to invent evidence and coaching them in how to answer questions under cross-examination. But the allure of crime proved too much and he began doing the only thing he knew: dealing drugs. This proved to be his downfall. In March 2023, less than a year after murdering Campbell, Belfield was arrested by police in Suriname who sentenced him to a year in prison on drugs charges. But they also notified Greater Manchester Police that they found Belfield, who had long been regarded as a suspect - and after he did his time in South America he was sent on a plane home to Britain, where police were waiting. Footage shows a gaunt-looking Belfield, his hairline thinning, being led from the rear door of an airplane in handcuffs by police officers and loaded into a van. Upon arriving at a police station, he is informed by an officer he is under arrest on suspicion of murder - as he appears to eyeball him through the grate of the van cage. More than a year later - and almost three years to the day he tortured Thomas Campbell to death - Belfield has run out of places to hide, and was convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob on Thursday. Sentencing him to at least 37 years in prison, Mr Justice Garnham told him he was sure that Belfield had taken 'pleasure in the infliction of pain' on his love rival. The judge said: 'Mr Campbell was no saint. Like you, he was involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs. But he was also a human being, and the manner of his death was horrific. 'I have no doubt you took pleasure from his pain.' The conviction and sentencing brings to an end a tireless investigation by Greater Manchester Police, who pored over hundreds of hours of CCTV and gathered thousands of pieces of evidence in
