Two teenage boys stabbed to death in case of mistaken identity, jury told

Two teenage boys were fatally attacked with “fearsome weapons” in a case of mistaken identity when four teenagers and a man went looking for “revenge” after a house was damaged, a court heard.

Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, sustained fatal stab wounds on Ilminster Avenue, in the Knowle West area of Bristol, on the evening of January 27 this year.

Bristol Crown Court heard the boys, who were good friends, had met at Mason’s home that evening and were walking on the pavement outside when they were set upon by a group that had driven past them in an Audi Q2 car.

CCTV footage captured by a camera on Mason’s house shows the vehicle stopping by the boys, four people jumping out and attacking Max and Mason, before returning to the car which drives away exactly 33 seconds later.

Antony Snook, 45, Riley Tolliver, 18, and three teenage boys aged 15, 16, and 17, who cannot be named due to their age, are on trial charged with murdering Max and Mason.

Ray Tully KC, told the jury that the defendants, armed with “fearsome weapons”, were “acting as a pack” and shared a “common pact” when they carried out their “revenge attack” on Max and Mason.

Around an hour before the killings, a property in the Hartcliffe area of Bristol had been attacked – with at least three young people throwing bricks through the window of that home and injuring a woman.

Mr Tully, opening the case against the defendants, said: “They were very clearly acting as a pack. That was because they shared a common pact.

“They chased after two boys who they mistakenly thought were responsible for the earlier attack on the house.

They were all tooled up, they had some pretty fearsome weapons... they set off together, they were on a joint mission, and we say that was for revenge

“This was a revenge attack aimed at both boys.”

The court heard there has been a “rivalry” between Knowle West and Hartcliffe – two parts of south Bristol – for years and there have previously been incidents involving people from “both postcodes”.

Mr Tully added: “It seems that the origins of this case can be traced back to those kinds of issues.”

Three young men carrying machetes were captured on CCTV outside a house in Hartcliffe just after 10pm on January 27 and threw bricks at the property – breaking a large number of windows and injuring a woman, the court heard.

At about 11pm, Snook, Tolliver and the three teenage boys allegedly left the Hartcliffe area in Snook’s car.

“They were all tooled up, they had some pretty fearsome weapons,” Mr Tully said.

“The five occupants of the car drove from Hartcliffe to Knowle West. As they set off, we say, they were on the hunt for the people they thought were responsible for the attack on the house.

“They set off together, they were on a joint mission, and we say that was for revenge.

“As they drove past Max and Mason walking down the street, they thought they had spotted the people responsible for the earlier attack – or at the very least, people connected to it.

“They were entirely wrong about that. Max and Mason had absolutely nothing to do with any earlier incident and no connection whatsoever with those events.”

The court was shown two machetes which Mr Tully said had been recovered following the fatal attacks.

CCTV images played to the court showed the Audi vehicle stopping alongside Max and Mason at 11.14pm, with four people jumping out of the vehicle and the boys running away almost immediately.

Max and Mason are seen going to different sides of the street, each pursued by two people from the vehicle.

Tolliver and the 15-year-old boy are alleged to have attacked Mason, while the 16-year-old boy and 17-year-old boy are said to have chased Max.

The 17-year-old boy also struck Mason, who was lying injured on the ground, as he headed back to the Audi after attacking Max, Mr Tully said.

Max and Mason both sustained stab wounds and died from their injuries.

Mr Tully said the five defendants were “in it together” and their joint attack resulted in both boys dying, which was “hardly surprising” given the type of weapons used.

He added: “Antony Snook could and would not have been in any doubt about what these four youngsters were intending to do as he drove them round the streets of south Bristol for nearly 15 minutes hunting for their victims.

“Without his willingness, as an adult, to provide a car and drive these four young people around south Bristol tooled up, out looking to attack those that they thought were responsible for the attack on the house, these two killings wouldn’t ever have happened.”

Snook, Tolliver, the 16-year-old boy and the 17-year-old boy are charged with murdering Mason together with the 15-year-old boy on January 27 this year.

Snook, Tolliver and the three teenage boys are charged with murdering Max on the same date.

The jury of nine men and three women have been told the trial is due to last until the end of November.

Adam Vaitilingam KC represents Snook, Ignatius Hughes KC represents Tolliver, Christopher Quinlan KC represents the 17-year-old boy, Anna Vigars KC represents the 16-year-old boy, and Kate Brunner KC represents the 15-year-old boy.

Mr Tully is due to continue opening the prosecution’s case on Thursday.

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