Depraved drug dealer tortured love rival in two-hour ordeal ending in murder

Daily Mirror

04-07-2025

A depraved drug dealer who tortured his love rival to death for two horrifying hours was told to "rot in hell" after being sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Thomas Campbell.
John Belfield, 31, hired a team to help him kill Mr Campbell after he formed a relationship with his ex-girlfriend Demi-Lee Driver. Belfield had previously denied being one of three people who approached Mr Campbell outside of his home in Mossley, Tameside on July 2, 2022. He was discovered tied up with duct tape on his ankles.
The 38-year-old died after being found with 61 injuries that indicated "restraint" and "asphyxia". He was taken inside a property where he was stabbed and strangled to death, with his genitals also covered in hot liquid in the twisted revenge plot. Witnesses heard him scream as he was forced into the property.
Mr Campbell's ex-wife had been in on the attack. Coleen Campbell had fed her former spouse's killers vital information about his whereabouts and was found guilty of manslaughter following a trial in 2023.
Reece Steven, who Belfield recruited into the crime, was found guilty of murder. Stephen Cleworth, who Belfield also recruited and planted a tracking device on Mr Campbell's car, was convicted of manslaughter. All were jailed in 2023, reports Manchester Evening News.
The third attacker - who formed part of the group who attacked Mr Campbell - remains unknown and is wanted by police. Belfield evaded police and fled the country two days after the murder.
He eventually holed up in Suriname, a former Dutch colony north of Brazil, before he was arrested there in March 2023 and eventually flown back to Manchester a year later. On Thursday, he was found guilty on both counts by jurors, who were unanimous.
Today, Belfield was handed down a minimum term of 34 years and 261 days, after having been convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob.
Mr Justice Graham, who sentenced the killer, described the injuries as nothing short but "horrendous". He said he had no doubt that Belfield "took pleasure in his pain".
The judge added: "Thomas Campbell was no saint. Like you, he was involved in the sale and distribution of drugs. He was also a human being. The manner of his death was horrific. His family and friends have had to listen to the description of his injuries.
"His father has described his family's prolific grief - it's plain he was greatly loved. I find you, John Belfield, were the leading role in the conspiracy to rob and the attack itself.
"This gang of thugs, with which you were the leader, attacked Mr Campbell and stole from him the drugs you believed he had. No one knows what exactly happened in Riverside. It cannot be said who delivered the blows with knives, fists or boots."