Driver Claims Ignorance of Murder Plot in Bristol Stabbing Case

A man accused of driving individuals involved in a fatal stabbing attack, and then acting as their getaway driver, testified in court that he believed he was transporting them “somewhere safe.” Mason Rist, aged 15, and Max Dixon, aged 16, succumbed to injuries sustained during an assault that occurred on 27 January outside Mason’s residence on Ilminster Avenue in Knowle West, Bristol. Antony Snook, 45, Riley Tolliver, 18, and three adolescents, aged 15, 16, and 17, whose identities are protected due to their age, face joint charges of murder in connection with the deaths. Appearing at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday to give evidence, Mr. Snook stated that a passenger directed his movements and that he “did not know of any plan” to kill. Surveillance footage from outside Mason Rist’s residence depicts the Audi Q2, operated by Mr. Snook, reducing speed as it drove past Max Dixon, who was arriving at his friend’s house. Testimony presented in court described how the two boys were subsequently surrounded by the four youngest defendants, who exited the vehicle armed with “fearsome weapons.” Jurors were informed that the sequence of events culminating in this assault had commenced earlier on the same evening. Approximately at 22:00, a residence in the Hartcliffe area of the city had been subjected to an attack, during which a minimum of three young individuals threw bricks through its windows, causing injury to a woman inside. Mr. Snook testified that subsequent to this occurrence, he was requested to transport the two youngest children to a “safe place” for the night and to collect his co-defendants en route. Adam Vaitilingam KC, representing the defense, questioned Mr. Snook regarding the route he traveled that night. Court-presented maps illustrated that his vehicle entered Knowle West through Inns Court, traversed Newquay Road twice, proceeded to Melvin Square, and then drove along Ilminster Avenue twice. Mr. Snook stated that he was adhering to instructions from an unidentified individual in the rear of the vehicle and “was not part of the conversation.” When questioned about his intended destination, Antony Snook replied: “It was late at night, I’d switched off for the day after finishing work and going fishing. “I wasn’t really following where I was going, and I didn’t think of asking,” he further stated. He eventually recounted that he “had enough of driving around aimlessly” and was proceeding towards the dual carriageway to return to Hartcliffe when he received an instruction to stop on Ilminster Avenue. Prosecutor Ray Tully KC had previously informed the court: “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.” He added: “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 assault on the two boys transpired over merely 33 seconds, during which Mr. Snook remained in his Audi, quietly waiting with the vehicle’s lights extinguished. The suspects subsequently re-entered the car, which executed a U-turn in the road and departed rapidly, leaving the boys collapsed on the street mere feet from Mason Rist’s family residence. The 15-year-old male has admitted guilt for the murder of Mason Rist but refutes the murder charge concerning Max Dixon. The 17-year-old has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Max but denies murder. The 16-year-old boy, Mr. Snook, and Mr. Tolliver all deny murder. The judicial proceedings are ongoing.