Man 'tortured to death' in his own home had wrists bound with 'extra strength' duct tape bought from B&Q, court hears
Extra strength duct tape used in the torture and murder of a man whose near-naked body was found in his own home had been bought from B&Q two days before the attack, a court heard today.
The blood-stained silver tape was wound 'multiple times' around the wrists of Thomas Campbell, 38, who was found wearing only socks in the hallway of his home in July 2022.
The jury at Manchester Crown Court has been told that Campbell was tortured to death in a brutal attack in Mossley, Greater Manchester.
Experts identified the duct tape as probably being from a single roll of extra strength Gorilla adhesive tape which had been bought two days before from a B&Q store in nearby Oldham, they were told.
Mr Campbell's body was discovered by shocked neighbours the morning after he was allegedly subjected to a 'harrowing and violent assault' by a gang of three men.
John Belfield, 31, is accused of being the ringleader behind the plot.
Prosecutors allege he was seeking 'items of value' from Mr Campbell's home.
Mr Campbell was also in a relationship with Belfield's ex-girlfriend and the alleged killer displayed 'hostility' towards the pair, jurors have been told.
Mr Campbell's ex-wife Coleen is one of three people to have been convicted in connection with his following an earlier trial, the court has heard.
Belfield 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.
Police later discovered Mr Campbell's burnt-out possessions beside a nearby canal tow path, the court heard today.
A police diver found his burnt mobile phone in the canal.
A neighbour who lives opposite Mr Campbell said the victim had only moved in between two to four weeks of his death.
Lee Barraclough said he had returned from a Sunday morning bike ride and was told by partner Isabella Kaczmarek that Mr Campbell's front door was open and she thought she could see blood.
Mr Barraclough said: 'I walked over to the house and I could clearly see blood in the hallway.
'I walked up and I could see a male body slumped on the floor with blood everywhere.
'It was in a weird and unnatural position and I knew instinctively that he was dead.'
The court heard from a scenes of crime team that the house had been 'ransacked', with drawers overturned and bloodstains on the walls and carpets leading up the stairs.
Upstairs rooms including a child's bedroom had also been ransacked and there was a large blood stain next to a child's bed.
The court has 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.
Nicholas de la Poer KC, prosecuting, told the jury Belfield had a personal motive for targeting Mr Campbell.
These allegedly include a desire to steal 'items of value' and jealousy over a relationship between the victim and Belfield's ex-girlfriend.
A 2023 trial heard that Coleen Campbell shared crucial details about her former husband's movements - including information passed on by their children - with Belfield.
She was found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob.
Stephen Cleworth, from Heywood, who acted as a driver, 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 although he was not present during the murder.
Reece Steven, described by prosecutors as Belfield's 'right-hand man', was convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob following the same trial.
Following the killing Belfield left the UK, jurors have been told, and was arrested in the South American country of Suriname in 2023.
Forensic pathologist Dr Philip Lumb, who carried out the post-mortem examination on Mr Campbell's body, told the court of the chilling scene.
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.
The trial continues.
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