BANBURY GANG LED BY WEIR WASHINGTON AZEVEDO AND SALLAJ TORTURES WOMAN IN HORRIFIC CRIME

In a disturbing series of events that unfolded in Banbury, a group of young individuals engaged in a brutal and prolonged assault against a woman they knew, subjecting her to unimaginable acts of violence, humiliation, and sexual assault. The incident, which lasted over 12 hours, was carried out by a gang led by Sonny Weir, aged 20, with the active participation of Natasha Washington, also 20, Alexander Azevedo, 21, and 17-year-old Argest Sallaj, whose identity was revealed after a judge lifted a reporting restriction.

On June 21 of the previous year, the defendants lured the victim to a flat in Banbury under false pretenses, claiming it was a social gathering. Once inside, the ordeal began, with Washington, Weir, and Azevedo subjecting her to relentless abuse. The victim was forcibly made to smoke heroin, and the group engaged in a series of violent acts that included burning her with cigarettes, beating her with various objects such as a hairbrush and vacuum cleaner parts, and applying pliers to her tongue. Throughout the night, she was also made to eat garlic granules, drink chilli sauce, and was subjected to threats of violence, including Weir holding a knife to her face and threatening to cut her.

During the hours of on-and-off abuse, Washington and Weir left the scene to have sex in a bedroom, leaving the victim alone with Azevedo, who then raped her on the sofa. After their sexual encounter, the two returned, tied her to a chair, and continued to beat her until she was badly bruised. Azevedo then arranged for her to be taken home in a taxi, leaving her in shock and distress. Her mother, upon seeing her, immediately took her to the hospital, where medical staff documented the extensive injuries and abuse she had endured.

The victim recounted her terrifying experience during a police interview, expressing her fear that she would never see her family again and that her captors might harm her permanently. The police investigation uncovered that Washington had lured her to the flat under the false pretense of a party, and that she was held against her will for up to 16 hours. The defendants' actions included threats, physical violence, and sexual assault, with Weir and Washington also filming her singing a degrading song about being a 'crack head' and uploading the footage to Snapchat.

Throughout the ordeal, the defendants displayed a complete disregard for her safety and dignity. They forced her to take drugs, including heroin and Valium, and made threats about killing her, with Sallaj suggesting they could take her to the woods and kill her. The young woman was also subjected to forced showering with alternating hot and cold water, and her hair was cut with a knife and scissors. The defendants' actions demonstrated a shocking level of depravity, with Sallaj even asking her to move her arms so he could see her torso, indicating a desire to further humiliate her.

After the assault, the victim was left physically and emotionally shattered. The police were called, and she was taken to hospital, where she described her fear of never being found or rescued. The investigation led to the arrest and prosecution of the four defendants. Weir, who had prior convictions for conspiracy to supply drugs, was also convicted of involvement in a drug supply offer at Bournemouth Railway Station in October 2020, where he was found with £500 cash and a burner phone linked to drug dealing.

In court, the judge sentenced the defendants to a combined total of 35 years in prison. Weir received nine-and-a-half years for his role, including a six-month sentence for drug dealing. Washington was sentenced to eight years for false imprisonment, ABH, and heroin administration. Azevedo, convicted of rape, false imprisonment, administering heroin, and ABH, was sentenced to 15 years. Sallaj, now 17, was convicted of false imprisonment, ABH, and assault, and received a three-year sentence in a young offenders’ institution. The judge emphasized the shocking nature of the crimes, condemning the defendants' descent into drug-fueled violence and their complete lack of morality, especially considering their young ages.