Man accused of organising murder of 'love rival' bragged he was going to have sex with victim's ex-wife before he was tortured to death, court told
John Belfield, 31, is accused of being the 'driving force' behind the brutal killing of Thomas Campbell, whose bloodied and near-naked body was found in the hallway of his home bound in extra-strength duct tape.
The dead man's ex-wife Coleen was later convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob for providing crucial details about his movements before the gang pounced.
Belfield, who fled to South America after the murder in July 2022, today denied that he had become 'obsessed and furious' because his ex-partner, Demi-Leigh Driver, had started a relationship with Campbell.
But he admitted responding to the 38-year-old's violent death by commenting it was his 'time to go'.
Describing the message as 'bravado', he claimed the dead man had been a 'big time cocaine dealer', adding: 'If you sell drugs, these kind of things can happen.'
Cross-examined in his murder trial today, Belfield denied being jealous about the relationship between Campbell and Ms Driver and said he had wanted to have sex with Coleen Campbell.
He was asked at Manchester Crown Court about a message he wrote to Campbell about his ex-wife, saying: 'I'm going to shag her for the point of it as well as saying you like her you soft boy.'
Belfield told the court that he had immediately deleted the message because it did not want Campbell to read it.
'He was bigger and tougher than me and a big time cocaine dealer,' he said.
'He had access to guns. I did not want to make an enemy of him.
'I was a bit upset and thought it was a bad idea and I deleted it, as you can see.'
Belfield, who denies being part of a three-strong murder gang, was asked by prosecutor Nicholas de la Poer KC about a message he sent Ms Driver which read: 'You and him will get domed and there is not a thing you or him will do.'
Belfield denied that 'domed' meant inflicting a serious head injury and said it meant 'taking the p*** out of someone'.
He said that he was 'definitely not' obsessed with Ms Driver and denied he was not able to move on from their relationship.
'I was in multiple relationships at that time,' he said.
Coleen Campbell was among those previously convicted in connection with Thomas Campbell's death
Belfield admitted he had sent Campbell a message saying: 'Have you shagged her or what?'
Mr de la Poer asked: 'Why are you sending a dangerous man this message?'
Belfield replied: 'I was just showing him. I knew Tom quite well.
'I wanted him to see what Demi was acting like. She was continuing to want to sleep with me.'
The court heard that Ms Driver told Belfield that he was 'upset because you never wanted me and someone else does'.
She added: 'You are upset because someone else appreciates me.
'Do anything to me and you will be sorry.'
Mr de la Poer pointed out that Campbell had died 'in the most terrible way' a few days after the messages and suggested to Belfield that he had murdered him.
Belfield replied: 'Definitely not.
'I didn't murder Thomas Campbell that day, I was at home with my daughter and my sisters.
'I was not there when Thomas Campbell was murdered. It is unbelievable. It is mad.'
The court has heard that after the murder, Belfield fled to the former Dutch colony of Suriname, where his cousin was also on the run from the police.
He denied that he had studied the reports of a 2023 trial over the murder while in South America in order to 'find gaps in the evidence'.
Jurors have been told that in addition to Ms Campbell, two others were convicted over their roles in the killing in Mossley, Greater Manchester.
Reece Steven, described as Belfield's 'right hand man', was convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob.
Stephen Cleworth was convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob for his role in surveillance in the run-up to the killing.
'I just wanted to find out why newspaper reports printed that I had murdered someone,' he said.
But Belfield admitted that he had studied the evidence with a view to 'constructing an alibi' for Reece Steven.
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
Mr de la Poer said he had 'done his best' to help Steven 'get away with murder'.
Belfield said: 'I was trying to help him, yes.'
He also admitted he had exchanged messages with Reece Steven from Suriname making 'jokes' about Campbell 'dripping with tomato juice' - a reference to him bleeding during the attack.
He was asked if he found the messages funny.
Belfield said: 'They are just bravado.
'At that time I was in a bad way. I was not in a right frame of mind at that time in my life.'
He admitted that he had told Steven that it was Campbell's 'time to go.'
'It was the life that Tom chose and it was the life that I chose and things like that happen,' he said.
'If you sell drugs, these kind of things can happen.'
But he added: 'I would not go and commit a crime as horrific.
'It was just like joking with bravado with one of my friends.'
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 Mr Campbell was killed, or being involved in placing a tracking device on his VW van or buying items used in his torture.
Belfield, of no fixed address, denies murder and conspiracy to rob.
The trial continues.
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