Families describe living their own life sentence after murder of Max and Mason

The mothers and sisters of Max Dixon and Mason Rist told a tribunal of the harrowing moments pursuing their murders and the devastating interaction of losing some boys.

Antony Snook, 45, was convicted of murdering Max and Mason successful Knowle West connected January 27, arsenic was Riley Tolliver, 18, a 17-year-old boy, a 16-year-old lad and a 15-year-old boy, astatine Bristol Crown Court past week.

On Monday, Snook was handed 2 beingness sentences by Mrs Justice May and jailed for a minimum of 38 years. The 4 different defendants volition beryllium sentenced successful December.

As portion of the sentencing hearing, the mothers and sisters of Max and Mason gave moving statements to the tribunal astir the boys.

Leanne Ekland, the parent of Max, described however January 27 was “the worst nighttime of my life” erstwhile her youngest kid and lone lad was murdered.

She told of proceeding a car propulsion up extracurricular the household location and the words “Max has been stabbed”, which she initially believed was a gag arsenic she thought helium was successful bed.

“When I got there, I tin conscionable retrieve screaming ‘let maine spot my son’ and radical astir maine stopping me,” Ms Ekland told the court.

I couldn't adjacent accidental goodbye to him properly, I wasn't allowed to interaction him arsenic helium was a transgression scene. All I wanted was to clasp him, and I wasn't allowed

Leanne Ekland, parent of Max

“I tin retrieve yet sitting connected the crushed with Max’s caput betwixt my legs, telling him I was determination and to unfastened his eyes.

“I retrieve him looking astatine maine and his eyes closing, helium said helium conscionable wanted to sleep. It was truthful frantic arsenic the paramedics were moving connected him, cutting distant astatine his clothes, helium was truthful pale.”

She told however the household went to Southmead Hospital wherever they were told Max’s injuries were fatal.

“When we were allowed to spot Max, we walked successful connected them trying to prevention him and past halt and telephone retired his clip of death,” she said.

“I couldn’t adjacent accidental goodbye to him properly, I wasn’t allowed to interaction him arsenic helium was a transgression scene. All I wanted was to clasp him, and I wasn’t allowed.”

Ms Ekland told however she had attended each time of the six-week execution trial, having to perceive to grounds from the pathologist connected what would person been Max’s 17th birthday.

She described wanting to propulsion her lad to information successful the CCTV footage of the incident, which was played to the jury.

“I person recovered it precise hard to ticker what those 2 boys had gone through, the fearfulness of not knowing what was happening and why, 2 boys that had done thing wrong, which has outgo them their full lives and 2 families having to unrecorded a beingness sentence,” she said.

Kayleigh Dixon, Max’s sister, told the tribunal that what happened took conscionable “33 sinister seconds”.

She said: “The 1 happening I volition perpetually retrieve is that Max and Mason lived their last moments successful unbearable pain, dying successful their ain blood.

“I americium near with the representation of my member Max begging that helium conscionable wanted to spell to sleep.”

She told Snook: “I privation you each to cognize that you killed maine that day. You ripped retired my bosom and soul. It’s breached and unfixable.

“I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t function, each I spot successful my caput is my lifeless brother’s body, I tin consciousness however acold his hands were and however stiff his assemblage was. His psyche disappearing from his brownish eyes.”

Mason’s mother, Nikki Knight, told however his begetter died from Covid-19 erstwhile Mason was 13.

She described however Mason’s execution had near her “frightened” surviving successful her ain location and feeling paranoid, proceeding noises.

“I’m ever looking astatine the door, checking the locks and trying to bash each I tin to consciousness harmless again,” Ms Knight said.

“I bash these things portion inactive expecting Mason to locomotion done the doorway and travel location to me. The lights person to beryllium near connected each the time.”

Ms Knight described the loneliness successful her beingness pursuing her son’s death, adjacent their home, successful what should person been a harmless spot for him.

“This location was the 3 of us, past the 2 of america aft Mason’s dada died. And present it’s conscionable me,” she said.

“To enactment into words however I consciousness is impossible. I person to spell retired and beryllium with radical each the time.

“I can’t beryllium connected my own. If I americium connected my ain clip conscionable stands still, I number down the clip until I tin spell to bed.”

Chloe Rist, the sister of Mason, described her member arsenic her “best friend” and said they were “inseparable increasing up”.

Mason was diagnosed with autism astatine the property of three, starring to his parent and sister being overprotective arsenic helium was “so susceptible and harmless”, she said.

Ms Rist spoke of however she arrived astatine Bristol Children’s Hospital aft Mason had died and was incapable to spot him “because helium was present evidence”.

She told the court: “Just ideate not being capable to interaction your defenceless member and cuddle him, oregon adjacent to accidental goodbye.

“I had to spell backmost to my mum’s location that night, feeling empty, walking past the transgression country extracurricular her house, the spot we utilized to consciousness harmless increasing up.”

She spoke of Mason’s favourite overgarment “all ripped up” and his humor connected the pavement extracurricular their home.

“Mason’s dada died of Covid 2 years agone and truthful the past 2 years of Mason’s beingness I watched his bosom break, helium was struggling truthful much,” she said.

“He conscionable started being himself again and the archetypal clip helium went retired this happened. The sadness I consciousness for him is indescribable.”

Ms Rist said her babe was calved prematurely and struggled to survive, weighing conscionable 4lb, adding: “I judge this is simply a ripple effect of Mason’s death.”

Describing the interaction connected her regular life, she told the court: “All I spot erstwhile I adjacent my eyes is him bleeding retired dilatory connected the pavement, successful symptom each connected his own.

“What upsets maine is that helium tried to get home, helium was truthful adjacent but didn’t marque it.”

She described going to Mason’s school, wherever helium should beryllium sitting his GCSEs, to cod his belongings, people enactment and unfinished creation piece.

Ms Rist, speaking straight to Snook, added: “Mason was a bully kid who ne'er upset anyone, helium had nary regrets successful life, everything helium did was with axenic kindness.

“Although I haven’t seen immoderate remorse oregon regret, it indispensable measurement dense connected you that you got the incorrect boy, a mistake that has outgo america truthful dearly.

“I volition ne'er forgive you for what you person done – Mason could person been your person but present he’s your victim.”