“MYSTERIOUS DEATH BEHIND BARS”: Teen Murderer Dies in HMP Deerbolt Months After Brutal Revenge Stabbing of Father-of-Six

GATESHEAD, England — An urgent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman investigation has been launched inside HMP Deerbolt following the sudden death of 18-year-old inmate Jordan Tams, who was serving a mandatory life sentence for the horrific revenge killing of 40-year-old Gary Belfield, a father of six.

Tams, who was convicted alongside two other teenagers for the April 2024 home invasion, died behind bars on October 18, 2025, adding a bizarre final chapter to a case that stunned North East England.

Unsealed Home Invasion Records and The Masked Ambush

According to unsealed Northumbria Police investigative logs and court trial transcripts:

Orchestrated by a 15-Year-Old: Trial briefs reveal that the deadly confrontation was engineered by 15-year-old Kriesha Stroud following a trivial neighborhood dispute involving a dog and accusations against the victim’s adult son. Stroud recruited Tams and 18-year-old Leandro Lopes to carry out a violent enforcement action.

Home Invasion and Fatal Stabbing: On April 27, 2024, Tams and Lopes, wearing dark face coverings and armed with large knives, breached Belfield’s residence in Gateshead. The pair launched a relentless attack, stabbing 40-year-old Gary Belfield multiple times in front of his 21-year-old son, Luke Williams.

Fateful Aftermath: Belfield sustained catastrophic chest and abdominal trauma, dying at the scene, while his son survived severe knife wounds after fleeing through a window to summon neighbors and emergency crews.

“This was a calculated, gang-style home invasion orchestrated over a petty feud,” stated a senior homicide detective involved in the unsealed evidence briefing. “Six children were robbed of their father in a matter of minutes over a completely senseless disagreement.”

Life Sentences and Ombuds Investigation

In January 2025, Newcastle Crown Court handed down severe life sentences to all three perpetrators: Tams and Lopes each received minimum terms of 26 years before parole eligibility, while Stroud was sentenced to a minimum term of 20 years.

Correctional authorities confirmed that Tams was discovered unresponsive in his cell at HMP Deerbolt, prompting immediate medical resuscitation attempts that proved unsuccessful.

An independent inquiry led by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is currently auditing prison medical logs and surveillance telemetry to determine the precise cause of death.