A couple from Huddersfield have been found guilty of battering a man to death, taking a photo of his beaten body and then dumping him on the moors in a love triangle murder.

Mohammed Shiraz Bashir, 42, and his partner Leonie Marie Mason, 24, both of Holme Park Court at Berry Brow, have been found guilty of killing Craig Preston, 34.

Three teenage boys who were also on trial, were found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter.

Craig Preston

Mr Preston’s body was found on the morning of Monday August 22, last year on the moors of the A628 at Woodhead Tunnels in Derbyshire.

He had been severely beaten and a port-mortem examination determined he died as a result of head injuries.

All five have been on trial at Sheffield Crown Court for 12 weeks charged with murdering Mr Preston, also known as Craig Nelson.

Bashir and Mason were remanded in custody to be sentenced at a later date.

Two 15-year-old boys and a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have been remanded into the care of a local authority.

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.

Leonie Mason who was found guilty of murdering Craig Nelson (AKA Preston)
Leonie Mason who was found guilty of murdering Craig Nelson (AKA Preston)

“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.

Mohammed Shiraz Bashir who was found guilty of murdering Craig Nelson (AKA Preston)
Mohammed Shiraz Bashir who was found guilty of murdering Craig Nelson (AKA Preston)

“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.

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“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.”