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Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
'Mastermind' behind murder of man 'tortured to death' in his own home tells court he was 'watching Finding Nemo with his daughter' at the time of the killing
A criminal accused of 'masterminding' the torture and murder of a 'love rival' today insisted he was at home watching Finding Nemo with his daughter at the time. John Belfield - who is accused of being the 'mastermind' behind the brutal killing of Thomas Campbell - said his alleged 'right-hand man' told him afterwards that there had been an 'altercation' and 'things got a bit out of hand'. The 38-year-old's bloodied body was found by worried neighbours in the hallway of his home in Mossley, Greater Manchester the following morning, a jury has been told. His ankles had been bound with extra-strength duct tape and he had been burnt using a hot liquid before being left to die, naked apart from a pair of socks. Belfield - a self-confessed drug dealer - 'fled' to South America after the killing in July 2022 but was later arrested and flown back to Britain to stand trial. Giving evidence in his defence today, the 31-year-old insisted he had travelled in a Range Rover to his sister's house in nearby Ashton-under-Lyne that night. He said he watched the 2003 animated comedy Finding Nemo with his daughter and niece before falling asleep on the couch. Belfield said his associate Reece Steven - who has already been convicted of Mr Campbell's murder - had been using the Range Rover that night. But he returned in the early hours of the morning to say there had been 'an altercation' with Mr Campbell and 'things got a bit out of hand', he told jurors at Manchester Crown Court. 'He did not really expand on that,' he said. Belfield said he asked Steven 'Why are you involving me in this problem?' but agreed to let him use his sister's car. 'I should not have helped him,' he said. 'I should have turned him away.' Prosecutors claim that Belfield was the 'driving force' behind the deadly ambush. They allege he was fuelled by jealousy over the victim being in a relationship with his ex-girlfriend and a desire to steal from him. Steven, Belfield and a third unknown man were all present when Mr Campbell was tortured to death, according to the prosecution. Belfield has admitted he took part in alleged 'recces' before the killing and helped disguise the van used in the ambush afterwards. But he denies being present when he was killed, or being involved in placing a tracking device on Mr Campbell's VW van or buying items used in his torture. He admits speaking to the victim's ex-wife Coleen about the possibility of stealing drugs from Mr Campbell, who he described as 'higher up than me' in the criminal world. But he says he did not want 'conflict' with him as he was 'a lot bigger and stronger than me'. Today Belfield said it was not until two days later that he learnt Mr Campbell had died in the attack. Asked by his barrister Richard Wright KC how he reacted, Belfield said: 'I was more scared about what would happen to me because of who Tom was.' Mr Wright asked: 'Why? Did you kill him?' Belfield replied: 'I did not kill him. 'I know now that some of my associates had done this crime.' Belfield said he fled abroad fearing he would wrongly being blamed for the murder. He caught a ferry to Ireland before travelling via Amsterdam, Spain and Brazil to the former Dutch colony of Suriname. 'I went there to keep myself safe,' he said. 'I did not want to put my family in danger by being in England. 'I knew people would attack me and maybe kill me in revenge. 'I did not want my daughter to get hurt and I did not want to be killed myself.' Belfield admits he and another associate, Stephen Cleworth, were seen outside Mr Campbell's house while he was away from home on June 29 - three days before the murder on July 2. He said that he was there as part of a plan to find Mr Campbell's drugs stash hidden in field and he had no intention of breaking in. Belfield said Cleworth urged him to break in but he refused. 'He was calling me a s*** bag and saying "He is sleeping with your bird",' he said. Belfield said he replied: 'I am not going into Thomas Campbell's house. I am not stupid.' Jurors have been told that Steven was convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob at a 2023 trial. Coleen Campbell was found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob after providing crucial details about his movements before the gang pounced. Cleworth was convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob for his role in surveillance in the run-up to the killing. Belfield, of no fixed address, denies murder and conspiracy to rob. The trial continues.
Daily Mail
19-06-2025
- Daily Mail
'Must have bled everywhere': 'Mastermind' behind murder of man who was 'tortured to death' in his own home joked about killing in series of text messages
The 'mastermind' of the brutal killing of a man tied up with extra strength duct tape and tortured to death in his own home joked about how the victim 'must have bled everywhere', a court heard today. John Belfield, 31, 'fled' to South America after Thomas Campbell's bloodied body was found, dressed in only a pair of socks, leaving his alleged 'right-hand man' to stand trial for murdering the 38-year-old, a jury has been told. After being extradited from the former Dutch colony of Suriname, Belfield is now standing trial over the 'harrowing and violent assault' by a gang of three men in July 2022. Today jurors heard messages which Reece Steven sent Belfield - alleged to be the ringleader of the plot - from behind bars during the first trial, in which he was convicted of murder. In an exchange about Campbell's injuries, Steven wrote: 'Tommy crumble. Dripping in tom juice everywhere.' Belfield replied: 'Must have bled everywhere.' Steven: 'I didn't say blood mate. I said juice, U're crazy, bro.' Belfield: 'Tom juice.' Steven: 'A little bit of Tommy ketchup.' Belfield: 'All the lights on but no one at home. Actually, the lights have been smashed out of him.' Steven: 'He ran out of sauce. Empty bottle. No lid on.' Belfield: 'He didn't believe the team.' Steven: 'He's just crum now. In the graveyard.' In other messages Belfield wrote that the police 'know I'm the one in charge' but had 'next to f***-all on me' He also wrote: 'Got a chance of getting away with it.' The court was told that Steven also sent Belfield a short video with the title: 'Everyone is a gangster until a real gangster arrives.' Prosecutors allege that Belfield was seeking 'items of value' from Mr Campbell's home in Mossley, Greater Manchester. Mr Campbell was also in a relationship with Belfield's ex-girlfriend and the alleged killer displayed 'hostility' towards the pair as a result, jurors at Manchester Crown Court have been told. His body was discovered by shocked neighbours the following morning after they noticed his front door had been left open and saw blood in the hallway. Extra strength duct tape had been wound 'multiple times' around his wrists from a roll bought from a B&Q store in nearby Oldham. A 2023 trial heard that his ex-wife Coleen Campbell shared crucial details about her former husband's movements - including information passed on by their children - with Belfield. She was found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob. Belfield - alleged to have been the 'driving force' behind the killing - denies being at the scene and has pleaded not guilty to murder and conspiracy to rob. The court heard yesterday that shortly after the murder, Colleen Campbell visited a psychic who said her ex-husband 'had come through' from beyond the grave. She subsequently told Mr Campbell's mother Lynn that facial injuries inflicted on Campbell had been done 'so other girls would not look at him'. The court heard that Lynn Campbell responded by saying 'shut up, Colleen' because she did not want to know about the injuries caused to her son. In further messages exchanged with Steven while he was in Suriname, jurors were told that Belfield asked for details from the first trial about the prosecution evidence. He said in one message to another recipient: 'Just looking like what it is going to be to like for me. 'If I have an alibi, I cannot get found guilty. 'There is no evidence. I could have just been naive.' He urged another unknown recipient to 'check if they have got warrants for the phones because if they haven't, then they cannot be used'. One message from a sender known only as James referred to the killers as 'the Lord's justice men serving up death in the name of the Lord'. The message added: 'Tom was sentenced to death in the name of Jesus. Amen.' Belfield told another recipient: 'If the evidence is not strong enough against them, they cannot use it against me. 'The trouble is getting a not guilty. Got a chance of getting away with it.' Belfield told one recipient called Pacheco that the police had no evidence to implicate him. He said: 'We did not use a blowtorch. We used hot liquid in a flask to burn him.' He added: 'Funny, innit. Police know I'm the one in charge but they know there is next to f*** all on me. 'I don't even put the tracker on. 'They have no evidence to back up what they are saying. Just some story books.' The jury heard that Steven told Belfield: 'I reckon you could squeeze a manslaughter. Accidents happen, bro.' He added in a voice note: 'If you put all the cuts on his face aside and the burns that was off whatever. 'He's got a f****** wound to the arm what got tarted up and a few bangs to the head. 'And he was f****** breathing when they called 999. The court has heard the 'horrific' killing was the result of 'very careful planning by a team of highly organised criminals' who used a tracking device placed on Mr Campbell's car and carried out reconnaissance on his home in the days before the assault. At the 2023 trial Reece Steven was convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob. Stephen Cleworth, from Heywood, who acted as a driver, was convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob. He was responsible for planting the tracker on Mr Campbell's vehicle and assisting with surveillance although he was not present during the murder. The prosecution case is that Steven, Belfield and a third unknown man were all present when Mr Campbell was tortured to death. Jurors have been told that Belfield's defence is that he had heard false rumours of his involvement in the killing and 'panicked and fled' for fear of a revenge attack. Belfield, of no fixed address, denies murder and conspiracy to rob. The trial continues.
Daily Mail
17-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Man who was 'tortured to death' in his own home was discovered naked in his hallway with ankles bound with duct tape, court hears
Man who was 'tortured to death' in his own home was discovered naked in his hallway with ankles bound with duct tape, court hears A man who was allegedly tortured to death in a brutal attack at his own home was found naked and bound in his hallway, a court has heard. Thomas Campbell, 38, was discovered by shocked neighbours the morning after he was subjected to a harrowing and violent assault in Mossley, Tameside. Jurors at Manchester Crown Court were told the father-of-two was ambushed by a gang of three men as he arrived home late on the evening of Saturday, July 2, 2022. One of the men, John Belfield, 31, is accused of being the ringleader behind the plot. He denies being at the scene and has pleaded not guilty to murder and conspiracy to rob. Another attacker, Reece Steven, has already been convicted of murder, while the third man involved has never been identified. The court heard the 'horrific' killing was the result of 'very careful planning by a team of highly organised criminals' who used a tracking device placed on Mr Campbell's car and carried out reconnaissance on his home in the days before the assault. Prosecutors claim Belfield had a personal motive for targeting Mr Campbell, including a desire to steal 'items of value' and jealousy over a relationship between Mr Campbell and Belfield's ex-girlfriend. Thomas dealt cocaine and was prosecuted for money laundering offences Coleen (pictured) broke up with Thomas after he cheated on her with a friend Pictured is Reece Steven, who was convicted of murder and was jailed for life with a minimum of 37 years Pictured is Stephen Cleworth, one of the killers. He was was found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for 12 years The court was told that Mr Campbell's ex-wife, Coleen Campbell, was among those previously convicted in connection to his death. During a 2023 trial, she was found guilty of sharing crucial details about her former husband's movements — including information passed on by their children — with Belfield. Stephen Cleworth, from Heywood, who acted as a driver for Belfield, was also convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob. He was responsible for planting the tracker on Mr Campbell's vehicle and assisting with surveillance though he was not present during the murder. Steven, described by prosecutors as Belfield's 'right-hand man', was convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob following the same trial. As Belfield's trial continued this week, the jury heard from forensic pathologist Dr Philip Lumb, who carried out the post-mortem examination on Mr Campbell's body. Dr Lumb described the chilling scene where he found the 38-year-old victim lying dead in the hallway of his home. Campbell is pictured outside Manchester Crown Court during an earlier hearing relating to her husband's death Thomas Campbell, 38, was ambushed by three men as he opened his front door in Mossley, Greater Manchester Thomas Campbell, 38, (pictured with Coleen on holiday) was ambushed by three men as he opened his front door in Mossley, Greater Manchester The expert said Mr Campbell had sustained injuries consistent with 'restraint' and 'asphyxia', and had suffered a 'sustained blunt sharp force physical assault' to the head and neck. Jurors also heard Mr Campbell had suffered burn injuries to his thigh and buttocks, believed to have been caused by 'a hot liquid such as hot water'. A large stab wound to his upper arm had bled heavily, and a makeshift tourniquet had been found on the limb. Dr Lumb concluded that the medical cause of death was a combination of multiple sharp force injuries, blunt force head injuries, and pressure to the neck. Belfield, of no fixed address, continues to deny murder and conspiracy to rob as the trial proceeds.
