Kreisha Stroud ‘recruited’ Jordan Tams and Leandro Lopes to attack Gary Belfield and his son Luke Williams at their home in Gateshead, leaving the 40-year-old dad to bleed to death on his sofa
Three teenagers who savagely murdered a dad in his home have been unmasked as a judge jailed them for a combined 72 years.
Kreisha Stroud, Jordan Tams and Leandro Lopes, attacked Gary Belfield and his son, Luke Williams, in the “senseless” killing in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear. The three were previously the subject of anonymity orders due to their ages, but judge lifted the restrictions on Thursday meaning they can be named and pictured for the first time.
Newcastle crown court heard Stroud was just 15 when she recruited boyfriend Jordan Tams, 17, and Leandro Lopes, then 17 and now 18, to carry out the attack in April last year. Mr Belfield, 40, was stabbed multiple times to his back and thigh suffering a severed artery while on his sofa, while Luke was also stabbed but fortunately managed to flee.
It was heard how Stroud was driven by “revenge and vigilantism” and arranged the attack over allegations Luke had assaulted a relative of hers. Lopes and Tams had burst into the home in balaclavas in the Felling area of the town on the night of April 27, savagely assaulting the two men inside. Dad-of-six Mr Belfield, who was originally from Manchester, was left bleeding to death on the sofa.
Stroud was later covertly recorded as saying she was “glad” Mr Belfield died and “disappointed” Luke had survived. All three killers have now been detained at His Majesty’s pleasure – which is effectively a life sentence for youths. Tams and Lopes must serve at least 26 years which Stroud has to do 20 years, Chronicle Live reports.
Survivor Luke told the court how the murder “stole my best friend and changed our lives as a family forever”. In a victim impact statement, he said: “I feel like what happened that night is senseless. They didn’t ask for anything but I sensed they had purpose. To me these three people are vile human beings.
“Seeing them laughing and joking pre and post court sessions tell me they have no remorse. A lot has been made of them being children. Those children stole my best friend and changed our lives as a family forever.” Mr Justice Constable said the “dreadful attack” was “shocking not just for its brutality and senselessness but because it was encouraged and carried out by three who were at the time children”.
Distressing details from court revealed how Lopes stabbed Mr Belfield in the thigh with a screwdriver, while Tams plunged a knife into his back. The stab wounds to his back had damaged his ribs, lung and liver, while a major artery and vein in his leg were damaged. He also had bruising to both eyes and his forehead. Despite the best efforts of the police and then paramedics, the 40-year-old died at the scene.
Prosecutor Michael Bunch says there is clear evidence Stroud “recruited” the male defendants and that they went to the scene as a “team”. Mr Bunch said: “In a covert recording, she (Stroud) said she was glad Gary Belfield was dead and expressed her disappointment Luke Williams was not.”
It was also heard how, a month before the attack, Tams had said: “I’m getting that f****** mad I want to f****** kill someone”. Stroud had no previous convictions at the time of the murder. Lopes had a caution for assault which happened in January last year. He was also sentenced for separate charges of robbery, assault and fraud today. Tams has a previous conviction for having a bladed article from January last year.
Francis FitzGibbon KC, for Stroud, said: “This is a girl who has been abandoned, let down, abused and exploited by adults almost throughout her life. She said she did not have a childhood.”
He added that she has PTSD, used cannabis from the age of eight and continues to deny actively encouraging or assisting Lopes and Tams. Mr FitzGibbon said: “Her role must be distinguished from the two males who go in the house with knives and set about the victims with extraordinary violence. There’s no evidence she intended that amount of violence to be inflicted. She was not there.”
He said it may be the attack arose from a “misguided desire for revenge” for something she believed had happened to her sister. Toby Hedworth KC, for Lopes, said of the killers: “They are all, for better or for worse, damaged goods.”
Mark McKone KC, for Tams, said: “The main mitigation I rely upon is Jordan’s young age. His emotional maturity is consistent with someone younger than 17. He does not have the maturity of a usual 17-year-old. Sadly through no fault of his own, Jordan has been witness to a lot of violence as a child. His social services record makes absolutely tragic reading.”
