Man sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murder
John Belfield has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 37 years for the murder and conspiracy to rob Thomas Campbell in July 2022. The conviction follows a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court. Belfield was arrested in Suriname for drug offences and extradited to the UK. Three co-accused were previously sentenced for their roles in the crime. The investigation involved extensive CCTV review, witness interviews, and forensic analysis, revealing a meticulously planned attack involving a tracker on the victim's car. Belfield fled internationally but was eventually apprehended.
John Belfield will spend at least 37 years behind bars after a Manchester Crown Court jury unanimously convicted him of the July 2022 murder and robbery conspiracy of Thomas Campbell, sealing a life sentence on 4 July 2025.
The 31-year-old, who had no fixed address, was extradited from Suriname in March 2024 after completing a drug-trafficking sentence there. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) traced him through Interpol alerts and co-operation with Dutch and Surinamese authorities.
Campbell, 38, was found by neighbours on 3 July 2022 lying bound and bloodied at the foot of his Mossley stairs; a post-mortem later recorded 61 separate injuries. Detectives showed Belfield helped plant a tracking device on Campbell’s car six days earlier, then stalked him home where the victim was tortured for two hours before being killed. Clothing was burned beside a Hyde canal and the getaway van—re-plated and stripped—was never recovered.
Belfield fled the morning after the killing, taking a ferry from Wales to Ireland, crossing Europe to Brazil and finally Suriname, where he was arrested for narcotics offences in March 2023. While abroad he sent messages trying to influence the earlier trial of three accomplices: Reece Steven, 29, already sentenced to life with a 37-year minimum for murder; Steven Cleworth, 38, and Colleen Campbell, 38, the victim’s ex-wife, jailed for manslaughter and conspiracy to rob.
Senior investigating officer Detective Sergeant Paul Davies said: “This was a meticulously planned, targeted attack that we believed Belfield played a leading role in influencing, orchestrating, and executing. Belfield cowardly went on the run… showing a complete disregard for the victim and a true lack of remorse.”
Source: Read original article