Judge emotional as she jails getaway driver over murders of two innocent boys

A High Court justice became affectional arsenic she described however 2 guiltless boys were murdered by a pack of equipped teenagers retired for revenge arsenic she sentenced their getaway operator to beingness imprisonment.

Mrs Justice May visibly choked arsenic she described Max Dixon, 16, and 15-year-old Mason Rist arsenic “two bully boys from loving homes” arsenic she jailed Antony Snook for a minimum of 38 years.

She praised their families for the “dignity and grace” shown during the six-week proceedings astatine Bristol Crown Court of Snook, Riley Tolliver, 18, and 3 teenage boys aged 15, 16 and 17.

“Mason, 15, and Max, 16, had been champion friends for a agelong time,” the justice said.

“These were 2 bully boys from loving homes with their full lives up of them.”

She described the “burning consciousness of unfairness of the onslaught connected these 2 boys” who were walking to get nutrient successful their community.

“Nothing tin undo the dreadful events of that night, oregon bring Mason oregon Max back,” she said.

Snook, 45, drove the 4 teenagers to and from Knowle West arsenic portion of a revenge ngo aft a location successful the rival Hartcliffe country was attacked by masked youths.

Max and Mason died from stab wounds aft being chased by the 4 equipped teenagers connected January 27 this year.

The 2 boys had been wrongly identified arsenic being liable for bricks being thrown astatine the location 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.

His Audi Q2 was driven astir Knowle West for astatine slightest 12 minutes earlier the attack.

The champion friends had near Mason’s location connected Ilminster Avenue and were going for a pizza erstwhile they were spotted by the defendants, who wrongly believed they were liable for the earlier attack.

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.

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.

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

Snook, a one-legged scenery gardener, drove the teenagers from the country successful his mobility car and dropped them disconnected successful Knowle West.

A occurrence was lit successful a backmost plot and items linked to the onslaught disposed of.

Snook, of Dowling Road, Bristol, was convicted by the assemblage past week of 2 counts of execution pursuing a six-week trial.

Passing sentence, Mrs Justice May described Snook’s actions arsenic “so anemic and cowardly” and said helium could person refused to instrumentality the “posse of equipped teenagers” to the scene.

She told him: “You assisted the equipped boys. You knew they were carrying weapons.

“With knives successful their hands and revenge successful their minds, a precise superior result was a certainty.

“Death was a substance of chance. You were the lone adult. There were aggregate opportunities for you to halt this madness.”

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

Mason Rist's sister Chloe

The justice said it was “impossible to fathom” wherefore Snook agreed to thrust the equipped teenagers to Knowle West.

She said they had “truly fearsome” weapons, including a achromatic “killer zombie-type” knife, which is amerciable to merchantability successful the UK.

The justice told Snook: “You each went hunting for victims astir the streets of Knowle.

“You would person experienced the ambiance successful that car, felt the mad, chaotic bloodlust of the 4 equipped teens, yet connected you went.

“Mason and Max were simply and tragically successful the incorrect spot astatine the incorrect time. They had had thing whatsoever to bash with the earlier onslaught connected the code successful Hartcliffe.”

Members of the families wept and embraced aft the condemnation was passed, portion Snook remained emotionless.

In unfortunate idiosyncratic statements, the sisters and mothers of Max and Mason paid tribute to them and laid retired the devastating interaction of their murders.

Mason’s sister Chloe told Snook: “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.

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

Max’s mother, Leanne Ekland, told Snook: “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.”

The 4 teenagers volition beryllium sentenced connected December 16 pursuing the mentation of reports.