Getaway driver who helped machete gang hunt down and kill innocent teens jailed

A getaway operator who ferried 4 teenagers astir earlier they murdered 2 champion friends with machetes successful a lawsuit of mistaken individuality has been jailed for life.

Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, were hacked to decease aft being ‘hunted’ done the streets of Bristol by a pack of youths who were ‘armed to the teeth’ and bent connected revenge for an earlier skirmish.

But the city’s crown tribunal heard the pals were wrongly identified and had perfectly thing to bash with the anterior incident.

Antony Snook, 45, Riley Tolliver, 18, and 3 teenagers aged 15, 16 and 17 – who cannot beryllium named for ineligible reasons – were each recovered blameworthy of the treble execution past Friday.

Snook, a one-legged scenery gardener, was fixed a beingness condemnation contiguous with a minimum word of 38 years.

The different 4 volition beryllium sentenced connected December 16 erstwhile reports volition person been completed.

Mason’s mum Nikki Knight said successful a unfortunate interaction connection work by authoritative Ray Tully KC that ‘she hopes that Mason volition inactive locomotion done her door, though she knows that volition ne'er happen’.

Mr Tully went on: ‘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.’

Max’s parent Leanne Ekland described however she cradled her son’s caput arsenic helium laic dying and held backmost tears reliving the infinitesimal helium concisely opened his eyes and told her helium ‘just wanted to spell to sleep’.

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.’

Snook drove Tolliver and the 3 boys to and from West Knowle arsenic portion of their misguided revenge mission.

Mason and Max 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 near the spot with 2 of the boys and picked up the different 2 successful a adjacent thoroughfare earlier heading to Knowle West.

The Audi Q2 was driven astir Knowle West for astatine slightest 12 minutes earlier the attack, the assemblage was told.

Snook drove down Ilminster Avenue erstwhile they saw Mason and Max successful the thoroughfare arsenic they went for a pizza – wrongly believing they had spotted those liable for the attack.

Mr Tully 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.’

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 while 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.

A CCTV camera on Mason’s nearby location captured however the onslaught lasted conscionable 33 seconds from the car pulling up to the teenagers getting backmost successful and leaving.

Mason and Max sustained fatal stab injuries, and some died successful infirmary successful the aboriginal hours of January 28.

Get successful interaction with our quality squad by emailing america astatine webnews@metro.co.uk.

For much stories similar this, check our quality page.

MORE: Man down unspeakable Willy Wonka acquisition blames backlash for becoming sexually abusive

MORE: Police hunt blonde pistillate aft boy, 4, near warring for his beingness successful deed and run

MORE: Mom cooked her 2 toddler sons to decease successful oven connected Friday the 13th