LEONIE MASON AND BASHIR SENTENCED FOR BRUTAL ROTHERHAM MURDER OF CRAIG PRESTON

In a chilling case that unfolded at Sheffield Crown Court, Leonie Mason, aged 24, along with her accomplice Bashir, was found guilty and subsequently sentenced for the savage murder of Craig Preston. The incident took place in Rotherham, where the two offenders, who were in a romantic relationship, conspired to eliminate Preston, whom they viewed as an obstacle in their lives.

According to court proceedings, Mason and Bashir considered Preston an annoyance and devised a plan to rid themselves of him. The attack occurred in a secluded lay-by in Rotherham during August, where the duo ambushed Preston. The assault was particularly brutal; Preston was restrained, kicked, punched, and stamped upon before being forced into the trunk of a vehicle. The violence was so severe that it left Preston severely beaten. After the attack, Mason and Bashir transported Preston’s body to a remote area near the Woodhead Tunnels, a well-known location in Derbyshire, where they discarded him on the moorland.

During the trial, it was revealed that Mason had a prior relationship with Preston, who was identified as a low-level drug dealer. It was also disclosed that Mason was involved romantically with Bashir. The court heard that both Mason and Bashir viewed Preston as an obstacle, leading them to plot his murder. Bashir, described by the judge as the