'Mastermind' of Mossley murder arrested in Suriname

John Belfield, 28, was arrested on Thursday 23 March 2023 by Suriname authorities on suspicion of drug related offences.

He will likely remain in Suriname’s jurisdiction to face these charges and GMP will continue to work with international partners to bring him back to Manchester to face questioning from GMP’s Major Incident Team.

Belfield has been wanted by GMP following an investigation into the death of Thomas Campbell, 38, in Mossley, Tameside.

Thomas’ body was found by a neighbour at his home on Riverside on Saturday 3 July 2022. Thomas was fatally assaulted the previous night and died because the injuries he sustained.

A public appeal to help trace Belfield was launched by GMP in August 2022, since then, officers have been working tirelessly to find him.

Detective Chief Inspector Liz Hopkinson from GMP’s Major Incident team said: “The news of Belfield’s arrest is an important development in our investigation, we will be working with international law enforcement agencies to bring Belfield back to Manchester and continue in our pursuit to find answers for Thomas’ family.

“Through vigilance shown by our colleagues in South America, Belfield was recognised by Suriname’s law enforcement upon his arrest and information regarding his whereabouts was shared with our Force Critical Wanted Unit.

“We have previously released numerous appeals to ask for help in finding him and we thank the public for their continued support in this case.

“This is an excellent result which shows once again, that UK law enforcement does not give up on finding those abroad who are wanted for offences in the UK.”