By Andrew Bardsley
This is the moment Thomas Campbell’s killers plotted in a pub days before he was brutally murdered. John Belfield, the ‘mastermind’ of the plot, met with Stephen Cleworth and Reece Steven at the Boat and Horses in Chadderton , Oldham on a Monday afternoon. Inside the pub, Steven showed the other two how a tracking device could be planted on a car, so its movements could be monitored. Later that day, Steven acted as a spotter as Cleworth placed a tracker on Mr Campbell’s car, which was parked as he walked to his child’s school. The gang monitored the tracking device for the next few days, with Belfield also seeking information about Mr Campbell’s whereabouts from his ex-wife, Coleen Campbell. She helped them to confirm where he lived, in Mossley, Tameside . Days after that pub meeting, on July 2, 2022, Mr Campbell was ambushed at his front door. He was subdued, dragged into the house and subjected to two hours of torture. Sign up to the MEN Court newsletter here Prosecutors said he was ‘tortured to death’, after being stabbed, strangled and having hot liquid poured on his genitals. He was dead found naked, apart from a pair of socks, in his hallway the next morning by neighbours. A large scale murder investigation was launched by Greater Manchester Police , which ended with Belfield, Cleworth, Steven and Coleen Campbell in the dock. Belfield fled the country and was located in Suriname, in South America. Earlier this week at Manchester Crown Court , he was found guilty of murder and conspiring to rob Thomas Campbell. Prosecutors said he was motivated by jealousy because Mr Campbell was in a relationship with Demi-Lee Driver, an ex-partner of Belfield’s. On Friday, he was sentenced to life in prison, to serve a minimum of 37 years. Cleworth and Steven assisted in the planning of the killing. Steven was one of the three members of the attack team, alongside Belfield. At a trial held at Bolton Crown Court in 2023, he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison, to serve a minimum of 37 years. Cleworth, who was not present at the murder scene as he was on a ‘bender’, was found guilty of manslaughter. He was sentenced to life in prison, to serve a minimum of 12 years. Coleen Campbell was also found guilty of manslaughter and was jailed for 13 years. She, Cleworth and Steven were also convicted of conspiracy to rob. Detective Sergeant Paul Davies, the senior investigating officer on the case, said: “This was a meticulously planned, targeted attack that we believed Belfield played a leading role in influencing, orchestrating, and executing. Join our Court and Crime WhatsApp group HERE “The excessive violence used towards the victim made it clear to detectives investigating that Belfield was intending to kill his target, and I am pleased the jury came to the same conclusion through the extensive evidence presented in court and didn’t believe Belfield’s claims he was attempting to rob. “Belfield cowardly went on the run the day after he committed this horrific murder, endeavouring to evade police questioning. When his criminal associates were on trial before being sent to prison, we uncovered messages Belfield sent them from abroad, looking to influence the proceedings and showing a complete disregard for the victim and a true lack of remorse, which is testament to his character. “I hope he reflects on this, and that today’s outcome will provide a sense of closure to Thomas’ loved ones, who have had to sit through another lengthy trial and hear the gruesome details of their loved one’s death. “The strength and dignity they’ve displayed throughout has been commendable, and they can now be assured that another person involved has been brought to justice.”