Getaway driver jailed for life for murdering two boys in mistaken identity horror

A middle-aged antheral who helped 4 teenage accomplices flight aft they stabbed 2 schoolboy friends to decease successful a machete onslaught has been jailed for life.

Getaway operator Antony Snook was recovered blameworthy of the murders of Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, who were attacked successful a lawsuit of mistaken identity. Today helium was sentenced to beingness with a minimum word of 38 years down bars.

The teens tragically died aft they were stabbed to decease aft leaving Mason's location successful the Knowle West country of Bristol, soon aft 11pm connected January 27 The 2 boys had been wrongly identified arsenic being liable for bricks being thrown astatine a location successful the rival Hartcliffe territory earlier that evening.

Around an hr aft that attack, Snook, 45, near the spot successful an Audi Q2 with 2 of the boys and picked up the different 2 successful a adjacent thoroughfare earlier heading to Knowle West. The car was driven astir the country for astatine slightest 12 minutes earlier the attack, the assemblage was told.

Snook drove down the thoroughfare wherever Mason lived and spotted him and Max outside, wrongly believing they had spotted those liable for the attack. Ray Tully KC, prosecuting, told the jury: “They were wholly incorrect astir that. Max and Mason had perfectly thing to bash with immoderate earlier incidental and nary transportation whatsoever with those events.”

A CCTV camera connected Mason’s adjacent location captured however the onslaught lasted conscionable 33 seconds from the car pulling up to the teenagers getting backmost successful and leaving. Footage played successful tribunal during the trial, showed 4 teenage boys equipped with immoderate what the prosecution described arsenic "some beauteous fearsome weapons" arsenic they drove past them successful an Audi Q2 car.

Tolliver, who had a shot bat, and the 3 teenagers equipped with machetes jumped retired of the car and chased aft the 2 boys. Max and Mason are seen going to antithetic sides of the street, each pursued by 2 radical from the vehicle.

Tolliver and the 15-year-old lad attacked Mason, portion the 16-year-old lad and 17-year-old lad chased Max. The 17-year-old lad besides struck Mason, who was lying injured connected the ground, arsenic helium headed backmost to the Audi aft attacking Max.

The assemblage of 9 men and 3 women recovered them blameworthy astatine Bristol Crown Court aft a six-week trial. As the assemblage returned their verdicts members of Mason's and Max's families were sat successful the nationalist gallery. Some cried arsenic the blameworthy verdicts were given, portion different relatives cheered and punched the air.

Today during sentencing of Snook, the sister of Mason Rist described however helium was diagnosed with autism erstwhile helium was a young child, meaning the household were "over protective due to the fact that helium was truthful susceptible and harmless".

Chloe Dore told Bristol Crown Court her small member was "silly, clumsy and the joker of the family", and laid retired the devastating interaction of his death. I didn't marque it successful clip to the infirmary and was told Mason was dormant connected arrival, and I couldn't spot him due to the fact that helium was evidence," she said.

"Just ideate not being capable to interaction your defenceless member oregon being capable to accidental goodbye." She told of walking to her mother's location and seeing Mason's favourite overgarment "ripped up" and his humor connected the pavement, earlier going into his chamber "praying helium was successful there".

Ms Dore added: "Mason's dada died of Covid 2 years ago, truthful the past 2 years of Mason's life, I conscionable saw his bosom break. He was conscionable starting to consciousness himself again. The archetypal clip helium went out, this happened. Mason doesn't similar confrontation. I cognize helium would person been truly frightened that night, not knowing wherefore this was happening to him. He tried to travel home, helium was truthful adjacent but helium didn't marque it."

She described however her member was looking guardant to starting a bricklaying course, adding "he was truthful worthy of a bully life".

Addressing Snook, she said: "Although I haven't seen immoderate remorse oregon regret, it indispensable measurement dense connected you that you got the incorrect boy. Mason wasn't your enemy, helium wasn't anyone's enemy. Mason would person been your person but present he's your victim." Mr Tully summarised a unfortunate interaction connection from Nikki Knight, the parent of Mason. She described however the onslaught connected her lad took spot extracurricular their home.

Mr Tully said: "She hopes that Mason volition inactive locomotion done her door, though she knows that volition ne'er happen. She, arsenic a mother, feels she failed to support her son. That is simply a thought that volition enactment with her. Ultimately, she says erstwhile trying to find words to enactment her emotions and feelings down connected paper, it is an intolerable task. She speaks astir the information she inactive can't spell into his chamber due to the fact that of the feelings she knows she volition have, simply being successful that room."

Leanne Ekland, Max Dixon's mother, spoke aft the blameworthy verdicts were returned. She said her lad and Mason had known each different since nursery school. "The past six weeks person been emotionally draining," she said. Today's result doesn't alteration the information that 2 families spell location without their boys. We tin present hopefully statesman to process that and retrieve them some and the blessed memories that some families person of Max and Mason.

"I request to convey everyone that's been progressive successful our case. I person truthful overmuch respect for the hard work, dedication and enactment for our families. There are nary words to explicit however thankful I americium to everyone. I volition beryllium everlastingly grateful to them. I privation we didn't person to beryllium present today, but we've got immoderate benignant of justness for our boys."

Speaking extracurricular Bristol Crown Court, Mason Rist's uncle David Knight said: "We would similar to accidental a monolithic convey you to Detective Superintendent Gary Haskins and each his team. They promised america close astatine the opening that they would bash everything successful their powerfulness and they have. They've got them.

"We would similar to convey the assemblage for having to spot what we've seen, and no-one should ever spot immoderate of that. We privation to convey them for coming to the close decision."

Mr Knight described his household arsenic a "big jigsaw puzzle". "Mason was a monolithic portion of that jigsaw puzzle and fundamentally that portion of puzzle has present been destroyed and volition ne'er beryllium replaced," helium said.

"He volition ever beryllium successful our hearts. Mason was a existent quiet, quiescent lad who wouldn't wounded a fly. He was truthful loving and caring. These animals took distant a son, a brother, a nephew, an uncle, and a grandchild. We indispensable present navigate the remainder of our lives without our puzzle piece."

The parent of Max Dixon told Bristol Crown Court however she rushed to the roadworthy wherever helium was stabbed and cradled her lad arsenic helium laic fatally injured connected the pavement. Leanne Ekland described proceeding a car propulsion up extracurricular her location and the words "Max has been stabbed", which she initially thought was a gag arsenic she believed her lad was successful furniture earlier realising helium was not.

Arriving astatine the scene, she said: "I sat connected the crushed with Max's caput betwixt my legs, telling him to unfastened his eyes. He said helium conscionable wanted to sleep. The paramedics were moving connected him, cutting distant astatine his clothes. He was truthful pale." Ms Ekland told however she screamed aft being told astatine Southmead Hospital that her lad would not past his injuries.

"We were taken to a country wherever a doc came successful and said, 'I americium sorry...' I didn't fto him finish. I screamed and ran retired of the country and fell to the floor," she said." My bosom was ripped retired and the symptom was unbearable. I knew past my beingness had been changed and my bosom ripped out. I person ne'er felt truthful overmuch pain. When we were allowed to spot Max, we walked successful connected them trying to prevention him, past halt and grounds his clip of death. All I wanted to bash was clasp him and I wasn't allowed due to the fact that helium was a transgression scene."

Ms Ekland attended each time of his trial, including connected Max's 17th day erstwhile grounds from the pathologist was heard. She described her lad arsenic a "big character" who was funny, benignant and caring, and fashionable among his friends. Speaking to Snook, Ms Ekland said: "My lad didn't merit to dice and neither did Mason. Our families didn't merit to spell done this. Due to your actions that night, 2 families person been destroyed. There are nary words to picture however overmuch I emotion my son, nary words to picture the symptom of losing him. Our household portion has been destroyed."

And the sister of Max Dixon told Snook however his actions had traumatised her and her family. Kayleigh Dixon, speaking astatine Bristol Crown Court, said: “I wanted to commencement by saying it was 33 seconds for our lives to beryllium changed. The 1 happening I volition perpetually retrieve is him being successful pain, dying successful his blood. My lasting representation volition beryllium Max wanting to spell to sleep.”

Breaking down successful tears and addressing Snook, she said: “I privation you to cognize that you killed maine that day. I can’t sleep. I privation you to cognize however overmuch you person traumatised me. Max and Mason should person been safe. They volition everlastingly beryllium 16. I bash not judge I volition afloat retrieve and I anticipation that justness volition beryllium served, and you volition walk the remainder of your beingness suffering.”

Speaking aft the verdicts, Detective Superintendent Gary Haskins, elder investigating serviceman astatine Avon and Somerset Police, said Max and Mason had been going for a pizza erstwhile they were fatally attacked successful a lawsuit of mistaken identity.

“They are beauteous boys, going astir their business, successful their ain assemblage erstwhile they were senselessly attacked by the individuals for nary reason. What we cognize is that they passed Max erstwhile helium was walking towards Mason’s house. Then Mason walks retired of his location and joins Max.

“The conveyance is passing, they deliberation ‘that’s them, they volition do’. They were hunting astir Knowle to find people. We cognize they had driven astir Knowle two-and-a-half times earlier they came crossed these 2 boys.”

Riley Tolliver, 18, a 16-year-old boy, a 17-year-old lad were besides recovered blameworthy of the murders of Mason and Max. A 15-year-old lad was besides recovered blameworthy of the execution of Max aft antecedently pleading blameworthy to the execution of Mason. The 3 boys, 15, 16 and 17, cannot beryllium named for ineligible reasons.

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