Driver receives life sentence for role in fatal stabbings of two teenagers

An individual who transported four teenagers on a retaliatory expedition, which resulted in the homicides of two close friends, has received a life imprisonment sentence. Mason Rist, aged 15, and Max Dixon, aged 16, tragically lost their lives on January 27, having been fatally stabbed by the group of teenagers in an incident of mistaken identity that occurred outside Mason’s residence in Knowle West, Bristol. Antony Snook, 45, a resident of Hartcliffe, asserted that he was unaware of the teenagers’ intentions; however, a jury dismissed this argument and convicted him of the murders. He is now mandated to serve a minimum custodial period of 38 years. Riley Tolliver, 18, along with three male youths, aged 17, 16, and 15 respectively, were similarly convicted of murder and are scheduled for sentencing on December 16. During Snook’s sentencing at Bristol Crown Court, the honourable Mrs Justice May informed him that he had possessed numerous chances to “stop this madness, to lock the car doors… or to have refused to leave Hartcliffe with them in the first place”. She stated: “You were the only adult.” “You were so weak and cowardly to lend yourself to the revenge scheme of others.” She further remarked that it was “impossible to fathom” his rationale for consenting to transport the four boys in his vehicle to that specific location. “You would have experienced the atmosphere in that car, felt the blood lust. Mason and Max, tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she commented. Relatives of Max and Mason were observed weeping and embracing following the pronouncement of the sentence, whereas Snook displayed no emotion. Tissue boxes were distributed along the jury bench and provided to the families during the reading of their victim impact statements. Chloe, Mason’s sister, approached the witness box and spoke about the strong connection she shared with her brother. She, at one juncture, fully turned her body to speak directly to Snook, who maintained eye contact with her through the glass barrier, lowering his head marginally. She stated: “Although I haven’t seen any remorse or regret, it must weigh heavy on you that you got the wrong boy, a mistake that has cost us all so dearly.” “Mason wasn’t your enemy. He could have been your friend, but now he’s your victim.” The testimony was profoundly difficult to hear. Detective Superintendent Gary Haskins, who spearheaded this double murder inquiry, listened with his head in his hands. Immediately prior to exiting the witness box, Chloe faced the jury, tears flowing down her face, and expressed gratitude for their role in securing justice for her brother. Leanne, Max’s mother, bowed her head and wept audibly as she heard Snook receive his 38-year sentence. Given his current age of 45, it was quickly understood that he would be 83 upon his release, thereby presenting a significant likelihood that he will pass away while incarcerated. Snook had transported Tolliver, from Weston-Super-Mare, and the three youngest defendants, whose identities are legally protected, to and from Knowle West. Approximately at 23:00 GMT, moments after Max and Mason departed Mason’s residence, the group erroneously identified them as the individuals who had thrown bricks at a property in Hartcliffe earlier that same evening. Surveillance footage from CCTV cameras recorded Snook’s Audi Q2 arriving on Ilminster Avenue, whereupon the four youngest defendants exited the vehicle, brandishing substantial machetes and a baseball bat. The two friends were ambushed in an assault that spanned merely 33 seconds, while Snook remained stationary in his parked car, with its lights extinguished. Subsequently, the teenagers re-entered Snook’s vehicle, which executed a U-turn in the thoroughfare and accelerated away, abandoning the boys who had collapsed on the street. The friends succumbed to their injuries at the hospital within a 15-minute interval of one another during the early hours of the subsequent morning. Throughout the sentencing proceedings, statements drafted by the mothers and sisters of Max and Mason were presented to the court. Ray Tully KC, acting for the prosecution, provided a summary of the statement from Nikki Knight, Mason’s mother, detailing how the assault on her son occurred directly outside their residence. “She, as a mother, feels she failed to protect her son. That is a thought that will stay with her,” he remarked. “Ultimately, she says when trying to find words to put her emotions and feelings down on paper, it is an impossible task.” Leanne Ekland, Max Dixon’s mother, informed the court that she had hurried to the street where her son was stabbed and held him as he lay mortally wounded on the pavement. “He looked at me and said he wanted to sleep, he was so pale,” she recounted. “The pain was unbearable. I knew then my life had been changed and my heart ripped out. I have never felt so much pain.” Chloe Rist, Mason’s sister, testified to the court that their family had been excessively protective of him “because he was so vulnerable and harmless”. She stated: “I beat myself up that I didn’t stop him going out.“ “Mason doesn’t like confrontation. I know he would have been really scared that night, not knowing why this was happening to him.“ “He tried to come home, he was so close but he didn’t make it.” Ms Rist recounted her inability to continue playing tag with her children after witnessing her younger brother “run for his life” in the CCTV footage, and expressed her incapacity to go back to their family residence, located mere feet from the scene of the crime. Kayleigh Dixon, Max’s sister, became tearful as she spoke directly to Snook in the courtroom. She declared: “I want you to know that you killed me that day. I can’t sleep. I want you to know how much you have traumatised me.” “I do not believe I will fully recover and I hope that justice will be served and you will spend the rest of your life suffering.” Detective Superintendent Gary Haskins, the senior investigating officer, characterized Snook’s defense as “fanciful” and a “complete fabrication in a bid to escape conviction”. He further stated: “Snook was the adult in that situation. He should have taken responsibility and stopped the four other defendants from committing such a heinous crime.“ “Snook played the role of the facilitator and the getaway driver. ” “He drove them around Knowle like a pack on the hunt, before turning into Ilminster Avenue. ” “He then saw the attack play out and then drove them away from the scene. If it wasn’t for him, the boys may well still be alive.” During the sentencing proceedings, Mrs Justice May additionally commented: “Mason, 15, and Max, 16, had been best friends for a long time. These were two good boys from loving homes with their whole lives ahead of them.“ “Best friends who went out together for a walk on a Saturday night and never came home again.” For further updates, follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story submissions can be sent via email or WhatsApp at 0800 313 4630. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available for review.