The horror of Thomas Campbell's last moments is unimaginable. He was tied up, stabbed, battered, then burned with hot water while being tortured for two hours.
No-one deserves to die in such a brutal manner, no matter their past. Reece Steven, one of three attackers who pounced on Campbell at his home in Tameside, will serve at least 37 years for the horrendous killing. At the time of his death, the 38-year-old dad had recently set up home in a smart new build estate in Mossley, on a street where families lived.
He had begun a new relationship, one which would bring him into contact with John Belfield, an alleged drug dealer said to be intent on revenge after his former partner had shacked up with Campbell. His ex-wife of 10 years, Coleen Campbell, then plotted with Belfield, who is wanted on suspicion of murder, as the pair sought retribution against their ex partners. Earlier this week, she was jailed for 13 years for manslaughter.
READ MORE: How Thomas Campbell was betrayed by a woman who claimed to love him
Belfield is alleged to have been the second attacker. The third is unknown to police.
As he was settling into his new surroundings, Mr Campbell, a convicted drug dealer, was still of interest to the police. "At the time of his death, there were outstanding criminal investigations into Thomas Campbell, including for suspicion of assault and drugs offences," the jury at his murder trial were told.
His criminal past dated back more than two decades Then just 19, in 2002 Campbell was sentenced to nine years in prison after playing his part in a terrifying robbery conspiracy, which involved the use of weapons including a samurai sword.
It was after he was released from his sentence in 2008 that he met Coleen Campbell. The pair married in 2011 and had two children, in 2010 and 2015.
Fatherhood did not dissuade him from involving himself in criminal activities. He has a conviction for possession with intent to supply cannabis from 2010. Police intelligence logs alleged that Campbell was involved in cannabis and cocaine dealing for more than a decade, between 2010 and 2021.
Intelligence also claims that he played an 'integral' part in an organised crime gang involved in cocaine trafficking from 2013 to 2021. And, in 2019, his wife joined him in the dock.
The pair were jointly charged with money laundering after enjoying a jetset lifestyle, expensive cars and home improvements funded by dirty money. The couple splurged £10,000 on one holiday, had a double-storey extension to add a bar and bigger kitchen at their house in east Manchester and spent a fortune on designer clothes and jewellery.
A judge ruled that they had benefited from crime to the tune of £100,000 over a five year period. A Proceeds of Crime investigation, seeking to claw back the couple's ill-gotten gains, has yet to be finalised in the courts.
With Thomas dead, the £100,000 bill is left to his widow. The case is set to be heard again in the coming months.
Further intelligence suggested Campbell had access to phones on the EncroChat communications network. Until it was hacked by European law enforcement, the system was thought to be impenetrable, providing criminals a secure line of communication to carry out their underworld activities.
He'd moved to Marbella and then Dubai in previous years, fearing that the EncroChat hack could land him in court, his ex-wife claimed. Police also said that Campbell was 'tactically aware' of police surveillance being carried out on him. During the investigation which led to the money laundering charges, he was able to 'compromise a mobile surveillance team' which had followed him, the murder trial heard.
In 2018, he turned up at a police station with a tracking device which he'd found attached to his vehicle, asking officers whether it belonged to them. As well as high tech methods, Campbell was thought to employ more old school tactics to avoid detection.
Police believed that he buried drugs underground, to keep them away from his home. In their defence cases, rejected by the jury, two men later convicted of involvement in his killing claimed they had been trying to find this 'buried treasure', without having any intention of hurting Campbell.
By the time three men ambushed him on July 2 last year, Thomas Campbell was starting a new chapter in his life. A new relationship, and a new home. Whether he would have continued in his criminal ways is unclear. But he was not allowed that opportunity. His life was cut short in the most brutal, appalling way, with three of those who played a part in the shocking killing facing justice.
After a trial, Coleen Campbell, 38, of Bamford Street, Clayton, was found guilty of manslaughter. Cleworth, 38, of Charles Street, Heywood, was also convicted of manslaughter, while Steven, 29, of Poplar Street, Middleton was found guilty of murder.
Coleen Campbell was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Stephen Cleworth was handed a life sentence, to serve a minimum of 12 years. Reece Steven was sentenced to life in prison, to serve a minimum of 37 years.
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