Monday, July 24, 2017

Barmaid, and lover brutally beat her 'annoying' ex to death with the help of three teenage boys then photographed his corpse in their car boot and buried him on the moors

  • Mohammed Shiraz Bashir, 42, and Leonie Marie Mason, 24, killed Craig Preston
  • The 34-year-old's body was found on the moors of the A628 in Derbyshire
  • Three teenagers, one aged just 14, helped the pair plan the murder of Mr Preston 
  • The gang showed 'no remorse' for the 'brutal and sustained assault' last August
A couple have been found guilty of savagely beating a man to death before taking photographs of his corpse. 
Mohammed Shiraz Bashir, 42, and Leonie Marie Mason, 24, murdered 34-year-old Craig Preston in a lay-by then dumped his body on the moors of the A286 in Derbyshire.
Three teenagers who helped the pair carrying out the attack were found guilty of manslaughter. One was aged just 14 at the time of the murder.  
Mason, who changed her name to Alina Shiraz, had been in a relationship with both Mr Preston and Bashir at the time of the attack on 21 August. 
Mohammed Shiraz Bashir, 42
Leonie Marie Mason, 24
Mohammed Shiraz Bashir, 42, and Leonie Marie Mason, 24, murdered 34-year-old Craig Preston in a lay-by
Sheffield Crown Court heard the pair launched a 'brutal and sustained assault' on Mr Preston.  
Mason had been with Mr Preston for about six years after meeting him while working at a hostel. She later met Bashir and started seeing him while still with Mr Preston.
She claimed Bashir had been 'fine' towards her at the start before becoming violent and controlling.
Mason and Bashir plotted to kill Mr Preston because he was an 'annoyance' to their relationship. 
The pair launched a 'brutal and sustained assault' on Craig Preston
The pair launched a 'brutal and sustained assault' on Craig Preston
They recruited the three teenagers and lured Mr Preston to the lay-by before kicking and punching him and stamping on his head. 
They then stuffed his body in the boot of a car and dumped it on the moors, where it was found by dog walkers on August 22.
Police were able to track them down after finding 'horrifying' images of Mr Preston's beaten body in the car on Bashir's phone as well as many texts between all defendants planning their attack.
He had been severely beaten and a port-mortem examination determined he died as a result of head injuries.
All five had been on trial at Sheffield Crown Court for 12 weeks charged with murdering Mr Preston, also known as Craig Nelson.
The five, who had all denied murder, are due to be sentenced at a later date. 
Bashir and Mason were remanded in custody and Two 15-year-old boys and a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have been remanded in the care of a local authority. 
Mr Preston's body was dumped it on the moors near the A286 in Derbyshire, where it was found by dog walkers on August 22
Mr Preston's body was dumped it on the moors near the A286 in Derbyshire, where it was found by dog walkers on August 22
Det Chief Insp Steve Handley, the senior investigating officer, said: 'This has been a complex and difficult murder investigation into a brutal and sustained assault on Mr Preston in summer last year.
'Bashir, Mason and the teenage boys planned together to harm Mr Preston, which we were able to demonstrate through a combination of CCTV enquiries, forensics and telecoms work.
'We completed extensive telephone forensics work on the mobiles of all defendants and rather horrifyingly, were able to retrieve an image of Mr Preston's beaten body in the boot of a car on Bashir's phone as well as many texts between all defendants planning their attack.
'This overwhelming evidence was placed before a jury who have reached their verdict. 
'I am pleased with the result and wish to recognise the work of my investigative team who have built a significant and complex case, as well as the Crown Prosecution Service and local authority, who have worked alongside us to manage this case.

'The three juvenile defendants, one of whom was just 14 at the time of Mr Preston's murder, have shown no remorse for their actions, just as Bashir and Mason have denied their guilt throughout.'

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