His name loomed large as the full horror of Thomas Campbell's murder emerged for the first time. But John Belfield was nowhere to be seen.
Believed to have fled the country, his name rang out at Bolton Crown Court but he did not take his seat alongside his four co-accused as five weeks worth of evidence played out. Despite his absence, he played a central role in the trial.
Captured on CCTV footage, his social media activity and movements forensically examined, prosecutors claimed it put him at the scene of the crime. This newly released CCTV footage taken from the Flavour Factory takeaway in Failsworth shows Belfield with Reece Steven, a convicted armed robber later found guilty of Campbell's murder, just hours before the killing.
