The 38-year-old could be heard to 'scream' as he was attacked by three men, before being carried into his home and tortured in Mossley, Tameside, on July 2, 2022, Manchester Crown Court heard.
John Belfield, 31, was yesterday found to have 'masterminded' the savage killing of Campbell, whose bloodied and near-naked body was found in his hallway bound in extra-strength duct tape, after he began a relationship with Belfield's ex-girlfriend.
Today, Belfield was jailed for life after being convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob after evading justice for three years, fleeing to South America days after the inhumane slaying before being caught by drugs cops in Suriname.
The twisted plotter is now joining three convicted co-conspirators in prison, and will serve a minimum of 37 years before he is eligible for parole - reduced to 34 years and 261 days for time spent on remand.
There were cries of 'rot in hell', 'rat' and 'you f****** freak' from the public gallery as the sentence was handed down and Belfield was led away to start his sentence.
Belfield was also ordered to serve 16 years for conspiracy to rob, which will run concurrently with the life sentence.
Mr Justice Garnham told the killer that while Campbell was 'no saint... involved in the sale and distribution of drugs', he was also 'a human being'.
The judge added: 'The manner of his death was horrific. His family and friends have had to listen to the description of the injuries you inflicted on him and the suffering he was forced to endure. That can only have been a dreadful experience for them.
'You played what I conclude was a leading role in the conspiracy to rob and in the attack that led ultimately to Mr Campbell's death.'
Belfield joins Reece Steven and Steven Cleworth, who are already serving sentences for murder and manslaughter respectively, and Campbell's ex-wife Coleen Campbell, serving time for manslaughter, in prison.
It remains a mystery who dealt precisely which blows to Campbell as his face was slashed with parallel lines, and who stripped him or poured boiling water over his genitals in an inhumane torture session lasting almost two hours.
Cleworth and Campbell were not present at the time of the killing - though Steven was placed at the scene by a base of evidence amassed by police. A third unknown killer remains at large.
Mr Campbell's mutilated body was discovered by shocked neighbours the morning after his death when they noticed his front door had been left open and saw blood in the hallway.
Duct tape had been wound 'multiple times' around his wrists from a roll bought from a B&Q store in nearby Oldham.
He had suffered 61 separate injuries, while a tourniquet had been tied around his arm to reduce bleeding from a slashing injury - not to keep him alive, but to prolong his descent into death.
Prosecutors said Belfield wanted to steal 'items of value' from Mr Campbell's home and was also motivated by personal 'hostility' towards him.
A 2023 trial heard how his estranged wife Coleen Campbell had guided Belfield to the father of her two children by sharing details about his whereabouts.
Given his status as a major drug dealer, Mr Campbell had many enemies, meaning suspicion did not at first focus on Coleen, who had by then broken up with him after accusations of cheating.
Belfield led the gang of three men who were caught on CCTV bursting into Mr Campbell's home to rob and torture him.
The judge added: 'You, I have no doubt, were the leader of that gang. You took pleasure in the infliction of pain on him.
'You wanted Thomas Campbell to suffer. That is why you and your gang attacked him as he opened his front door and bundled him into the house; you wanted to ensure he was utterly at your mercy.'
After leaving 38-year-old father of two Campbell to die in unimaginable agony John Belfield, Reece Steven and the third mystery killer left the scene together in a Vauxhall Combo van.
They later stopped the van and modified it to disguise its appearance, changing the number plates and removing a roof vent. It has never been found.
Belfield then fled Britain: he took a ferry to Ireland from Wales, travelled to Amsterdam, France and Spain before flying to Brazil and eventually settling in the former Dutch colony of Suriname in South America.
The country does not have a formal extradition treaty with Britain.
But Belfield couldn't keep out of trouble - even texting his co-conspirators with advice about their ongoing trial - and was caught by local police dealing drugs, for which he was ordered to spend a year in prison.
Officers in Suriname identified him as a wanted man and alerted Greater Manchester Police, who worked with local and Dutch authorities to bring him back to the UK after he served his sentence.
Footage issued by GMP today showed officers boarding the plane from the rear as Belfield was led out in handcuffs in March last year.
He was then informed he was under arrest as he eyeballs the officer through the grates of the police van's cage.
His sentencing came a day after angry and chaotic scenes unfolded in court as he was convicted, as Campbell's mother turned to detectives and screamed out: 'You know who the murderer is.'
As relatives began to erupt, the judge, Mr Justice Garnham instructed court staff to escort her from the building.
And he told the victim's supporters: 'Be quiet or you will all be held in contempt of court.'
Given his status as a major drug dealer, Mr Campbell had many enemies, meaning suspicion did not at first focus on Coleen, who had by then broken up with him after accusations of cheating.
The trial had heard Belfield became 'obsessed and furious' after Campbell began a relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Demi-Lee Driver, who the killer called a 'money grabbing little dog' in a series of threatening messages.
The 'sophisticated and organised conspiracy' saw Belfield and his conspirators carry out a week of surveillance before they chose to strike on July 2 2022.
CCTV showed Belfield laughing and joking in a pub with co-conspirators Reece Steven and Steven Cleworth a week before the killing as they plotted to plant a tracking device on Campbell's car.
The victim's estranged wife Coleen - furious at him for cheating before their split - had shared his whereabouts despite being warned that he would be robbed and 'violence would be necessary'.
Coleen previously stood trial in Belfield's absence, with jurors hearing how she played the 'perfect' grieving widow in a series of gushing Facebook messages.
Facebook posts at the time show she put on a show of grieving by posting a series of 'tributes' featuring broken heart emojis and warm words for the father of her two children.
One read: '13 years and 2 beautiful children. Forever grateful. I would do anything to hear your giddy laugh or your none [sic] stop moaning just one more time.'
Coleen also helped to photograph and arrange the ceremonial releasing of balloons in his memory.
But she eventually exposed her involvement by describing the exact nature of Campbell's injuries to his mother - details she claimed he had relayed from the grave after being summoned by a clairvoyant.
At this meeting - four days after his death - Coleen claimed his spirit had been summoned and shared intimate details about his murder and the injuries he had sustained.
Coleen relayed them all to the victim's suspicious mother, who alerted police.
At the time of the séance, little information had previously been made public by police about the fatal assault - but Coleen fell under suspicion as only the killers could have known the details about Mr Campbell's fatal wounds.
Inquiries revealed she had been tipping off the killers about her ex-husband's movements in the run up to the attack, with a phone conversation she had with one of them caught on her home CCTV.
She was found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob alongside Stephen Cleworth, 38.
Belfield's right-hand man, Reece Steven, was convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob.
A previous hearing heard how Belfield and Steven shared a series of crowing messages about Mr Campbell's injuries following the murder.
Steven wrote: 'Tommy crumble. Dripping in tom juice everywhere', to which Belfield replied: 'Must have bled everywhere.'
In subsequent texts, Steven referred to 'a little bit of Tommy ketchup' while Belfield wrote: 'All the lights on but no one at home. Actually, the lights have been smashed out of him.'
Manchester Crown Court also heard messages Belfield sent to his ex, Ms Driver, after she began a relationship with Mr Campbell.
In one he wrote: 'You and that helmet will get domed. Shut your mouth you dog.'
In a separate exchange, Belfield wrote to Mr Campbell about Ms Driver, saying: 'I'm going to shag her for the point of it as well as saying you like her you soft boy.'
During his own trial, Belfield admitted to earning around £2,000-a-week dealing cannabis and cocaine, but denied murdering Mr Campbell.
Questioned by his barrister Richard Wright KC, Belfield said he had known him for about ten years, saying he was 'higher up than me' in the drugs trade.
'I have never had any trouble with Tom Campbell in my life,' he insisted.
Belfield insisted that his contact with Ms Campbell over Instagram in the run-up to the murder had nothing to do with a plan to rob her ex-husband or being 'jealous' about his relationship with Ms Driver.
However, jurors heard how he 'very carefully planned' Mr Campbell's killing by placing a tracker device on his car and carrying out reconnaissance on his home.
Belfield attacked Mr Campbell with Steven and a third man, who has not been identified.
Co-conspirator Stephen Cleworth was not present during the murder - as he was on a night out at a swinger's club, but planted the tracker and acted as a driver.
Horrific details about the victim's injuries were shared with jurors by forensic pathologist Dr Philip Lumb.
He said he had suffered injuries consistent with 'restraint', 'asphyxia' and a 'sustained blunt sharp force physical assault'.
Dr Lumb also noted evidence of burning to Mr Campbell's thigh and buttocks, which he said had been caused by a 'hot liquid such as hot water'.
The victim had also suffered a gaping stab wound to his right upper arm, which would have bled extensively.
Belfield was described as being of no fixed address.
The police investigation saw officers pore over hundreds of hours of CCTV, gather 3,000 piece of evidence and interview 200 witnesses.
Wendy Logan, District Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: 'Evidence presented by the prosecution made it clear that Belfield had orchestrated this attack and left no stone unturned to ensure it would be successful.'
Detective Sergeant Paul Davies, GMP's senior investigating officer on the case, said: 'This was a meticulously planned, targeted attack that we believed Belfield played a leading role in influencing, orchestrating, and executing.
'The excessive violence used towards the victim made it clear to detectives investigating that Belfield was intending to kill his target, and I am pleased the jury came to the same conclusion through the extensive evidence presented in court.
'Belfield cowardly went on the run the day after he committed this horrific murder, endeavouring to evade police questioning.
'When his criminal associates were on trial before being sent to prison, we uncovered messages Belfield sent them from abroad, looking to influence the proceedings and showing a complete disregard for the victim and a true lack of remorse, which is testament to his character.
'I hope he reflects on this, and that today's outcome will provide a sense of closure to Thomas' family, who have had to sit through another lengthy trial and hear the gruesome details of their loved one's death.
'The strength and dignity they've displayed throughout has been commendable, and they can now be assured everyone believed to be involved has now been brought to justice.'
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