A man who was allegedly tortured to death in a brutal attack at his own home was found naked and bound in his hallway, a court has heard.
Thomas Campbell, 38, was discovered by shocked neighbours the morning after he was subjected to a harrowing and violent assault in Mossley, Tameside.
Jurors at Manchester Crown Court were told the father-of-two was ambushed by a gang of three men as he arrived home late on the evening of Saturday, July 2, 2022.
One of the men, John Belfield, 31, is accused of being the ringleader behind the plot. He denies being at the scene and has pleaded not guilty to murder and conspiracy to rob.
Another attacker, Reece Steven, has already been convicted of murder, while the third man involved has never been identified.
The court heard the ‘horrific’ killing was the result of ‘very careful planning by a team of highly organised criminals’ who used a tracking device placed on Mr Campbell’s car and carried out reconnaissance on his home in the days before the assault.
Prosecutors claim Belfield had a personal motive for targeting Mr Campbell, including a desire to steal ‘items of value’ and jealousy over a relationship between the 38-year-old and Belfield’s ex-girlfriend.
The court was told that Mr Campbell’s ex-wife, Coleen Campbell, was among those previously convicted in connection to his death.
During a 2023 trial, she was found guilty of sharing crucial details about her former husband’s movements – including information passed on by their children – with Belfield.
Stephen Cleworth, from Heywood, who acted as a driver for Belfield, was also convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob.
He was responsible for planting the tracker on Mr Campbell’s vehicle and assisting with surveillance though he was not present during the murder.
Steven, described by prosecutors as Belfield’s ‘right-hand man’, was convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob following the same trial.
As Belfield’s trial continued this week, the jury heard from forensic pathologist Dr Philip Lumb, who carried out the post-mortem examination on Mr Campbell’s body.
Dr Lumb described the chilling scene where he found the 38-year-old victim lying dead in the hallway of his home.
The expert said Mr Campbell had sustained injuries consistent with ‘restraint’ and ‘asphyxia’, and had suffered a ‘sustained blunt sharp force physical assault’ to the head and neck.
Jurors also heard Mr Campbell had suffered burn injuries to his thigh and buttocks, believed to have been caused by ‘a hot liquid such as hot water’.
A large stab wound to his upper arm had bled heavily, and a makeshift tourniquet had been found on the limb.
Dr Lumb concluded that the medical cause of death was a combination of multiple sharp force injuries, blunt force head injuries, and pressure to the neck.
Belfield, of no fixed address, continues to deny murder and conspiracy to rob as the trial proceeds.
The trial continues.
