Man sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murder

Today (4th July 2025), John Belfield (13/04/1994) of no fixed abode has been sentenced to life in prison and must serve a minimum term of 37 years after he was convicted yesterday of murder and conspiracy to rob Thomas Campbell following an incident on 3rd July 2022.

A jury delivered a unanimous guilty verdict following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.

Belfield was arrested in Suriname for drug offences in March 2023. He was identified by Surinames officers, who notified Greater Manchester Police.  GMP worked with the Surinamese and Dutch authorities in order to bring him back to Manchester on 9^th March 2024.

Belfield was incarcerated in Suriname for drug offences at the time. When his sentence was complete, detectives investigating the murder of Thomas Campbell worked with the Suriname and Dutch authorities to bring him back to Manchester, where he was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Three of Belfield’s co-accused have previously been sentenced for their part in murdering Thomas Campbell.

In March last year, Reece Steven (29) of Poplar Street, Middleton, was found guilty of murder with conspiracy to rob. He was sentenced to life in prison and must serve a minimum of 37 years.

Steven Cleworth (38), of Charles Street, Heywood, was found guilty of manslaughter with conspiracy to rob. He was sentenced to life and must serve a minimum of 12 years.

Colleen Campbell (38), of Bamford Street, Manchester, was found guilty of manslaughter with conspiracy to rob. She was sentenced to 13 years and must serve a minimum of two-thirds in prison.

Unravelling our investigation

Belfield’s conviction and these sentences follow a lengthy investigation which started in July 2022 when a call came in from a concerned neighbour reporting to have seen blood through an open door at Thomas’ home address. 

Responding officers quickly discovered a man unresponsive at the bottom of the stairs with his feet bound together. Despite the best efforts of emergency services, the man, later identified as Thomas Campbell, was pronounced dead at the scene, and a murder investigation ensued.

The investigation team collected, reviewed, and analysed hundreds of hours of CCTV and nearly 3000 exhibits, spoke to over 200 witnesses and arrested 19 people in its quest to secure justice for Thomas’ family.

The manhunt to locate Belfield and arrange for him to face justice also took significant police resources.

Detectives investigating uncovered communications between Belfield and the victim in the week leading up to the murder, which stood out as unusual since the two had never corresponded previously. Several of the messages sent by Belfield looked to antagonise and did not receive a response.

The conspiracy to murder Thomas Campbell was meticulously thought out by the group responsible, using those closest to him to track his every movement.  On 27^th June 2022, less than a week before the murder, we secured CCTV capturing Belfield with Steven and Cleworth at a pub in Chadderton, plotting to install a tracker on Thomas’ car.

Detectives found that a tracker had been installed, and through mobile phone data, determined that the three men were in the area when it was activated.

Through our investigations, we found information was passed on from the victim’s ex-wife and the tracker, enabling the murderers to follow the victim home, where they ambushed him at his front door, assaulted him, and dragged him inside.

For two hours, Thomas was tortured and killed. A Post Mortem revealed he suffered over 61 injuries.

Large bin bags had been removed from the property throughout the incident, and one defendant was captured on CCTV shining a torch under the victim’s car before retrieving the tracker.

When the trio left the scene of the crime, they travelled together in a Vauxhall Combo Van to Alexandra Street in Hyde, where they walked along Woodend Lane towards the canal removing numerous items from the van. This is where they burnt the victim’s clothing.

They abandoned the van nearby, replaced the number plates and removed a roof vent in order to disguise it, before driving it away the following day.  The van was never located.

Belfield fled Manchester the day after the murder to North Wales, got a ferry to Ireland, travelled to Amsterdam, France, Spain and then to Brazil before travelling to Suriname.

Less than a year later, he was arrested in Suriname for drug offences, where he served a year’s sentence before returning to Manchester to face legal proceedings.

Detective Sergeant Paul Davies, the senior investigating officer on this case, said: “This was a meticulously planned, targeted attack that we believed Belfield played a leading role in influencing, orchestrating, and executing.

“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.”