Mum-of-two set to lose home where she plotted torture of slaughtered ex-hubby
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Coleen Campbell is set to lose the family home she had once shared with her ex-husband before she helped plot the attack that killed him.
Thomas Campbell, 38, was ambushed by three men at his own home in Mossley, Tameside, who then tortured and murdered him. The convicted drug dealer's body was discovered the next day, reports Manchester Evening News.
Ms Campbell was found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for 13 years after she shared information about her ex with John Belfield, the accused mastermind behind the brutal murder and, prosecutors claim, one of the men who attacked Mr Campbell. Belfield fled the country following the attack but has since been arrested in South America on drugs charges, with police now working to bring him back to the UK in connection with Mr Campbell's case.
Now Ms Campbell is facing a new blow as the Clayton family home she and Mr Campbell once lived in with their two children is due to hit the market. The property underwent extensive renovations wile the brood lived there, including the installation of a double-storey extension.
The lavish upgrades came while Ms Campbell was working part-time at Matalan and receiving working tax credits, while Thomas had declared himself self-employed fitness instructor. At the same time the pair also forked out on luxury holidays and designer clothes and jewellery.
It was soon found the luxuries had been paid for with dirty money, and the pair appeared in the dock at Manchester Crown Court together where they both pleaded guilty to money laundering. Thomas was handed a two-year prison sentence while Ms Campbell was given 16 months, suspended for two years.
The home was a focal point in the trial surrounding Mr Campbell's murder. CCTV footage of the property's driveway captured Ms Campbell talking on the phone with Belfield just hours before Mr Campbell was ambushed.
Following the convictions prosecutors launched a probe into the couple's dodgy dealings under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The investigation was put on hold seat following Thomas' murder last July. However in another hearing at Manchester Crown Court today (Thursday, October 5) the case has been settled and Ms Campbell has been ordered to pay £76,500 within three months.
If she fails to pay she could have an additional nine months added to her prison sentence. Prosecutor Henry Blackshaw said the cash would be paid from her equity in the property.
Prosecutors claimed during trial that Ms Campbell had formed an "alliance" with Belfield and helped him hatch the plot to attack her husband after she and Mr Campbell split up and he entered a new relationship with Belfield's ex-girlfriend.
Belfield had allegedly planned to rob Mr Campbell after reading a Manchester Evening News article about his money laundering trial and his lavish lifestyle.
Mr Campbell, a cocaine dealer who played an "integral" part in a crime organisation, had been unlocking his front door on July 2 of last year when three men ambushed him. He was stabbed, punched, stamped on and had boiling water was poured over his buttocks during the attack, leaving him with a total of 61 injuries, the Daily Star previously reported.
Ms Campbell went on trial alongside two men, Reece Steven, 29, and Stephen Cleworth, 38. Steven was one of the attackers and received a life sentence for murder, while Cleworth had been involved in the planning of the robbery and was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 12 years for manslaughter.
Ms Campbell, who was found not guilty of murder, insisted she didn't want Thomas dead and told the court she would forever regret her unwitting involvement in the attack. She maintained she only gave Belfield information about her ex to help establish the nature of his relationship with Belfield's ex-girlfriend.
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