John Belfield charged with Mossley murder after being deported back to to UK

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John BelfieldImage source, Police handout
Image caption,

John Belfield was arrested at Manchester Airport last week

A man has been charged with murder in relation to a 38-year-old who was found dead in his home.

John Belfield, 29, was wanted by police following an investigation into the death of Thomas Campbell in Mossley in 2022.

He was arrested last week at Manchester Airport after being deported from South America.

Mr Belfield has been charged with murder, conspiracy to murder and manslaughter.

He had been wanted by police since 2022 after Mr Campbell's body was found by a neighbour at his home on Riverside, Mossley.

Mr Campbell was robbed and "tortured to death" in his own home after being ambushed by three men, police said.

Belfield has also been charged with conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to supply class A drugs. He has been remanded into custody and will appear before a magistrate.

Three jailed

Three people have already been sentenced for their role in Thomas Campbell's death.

In a statement, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: "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 been sentenced life and must serve a minimum of 12 years.

"Coleen 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."

Det Ch Insp Liz Hopkinson of GMP's major incident team, said: "I would like to thank our colleagues at the National Crime Agency and Suriname law enforcement, alongside our officers in GMPs Specialist Operations and Force Critical Wanted Unit, for their tireless pursuit to find Belfield.

"A team of detectives continue to work hard on this case to ensure Thomas's family gets the justice they deserve and we urge anyone who is still out there who has any information to speak to us and do the right thing."

Anyone with any information can report to GMP on 0161 856 6377 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or information can be passed to them via a LiveChat service online, or 101.

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