The fatal attack that killed Bristol teenagers Max Dixon and Mason Rist took just 33 seconds, from the moment four teenagers jumped out of a car in Knowle West, to the moment they got back in and were driven away, a court has heard.
The jury in the trial of five people jointly charged with the double murders of Max, 16, and Mason, 15, were led through a series of CCTV images and video clips as the trial got underway at Bristol Crown Court today (Wednesday, October 9).
Antony Snook, 45, from Hartcliffe, is charged with two counts of murder, as is Riley Tolliver, 18, and three teenagers aged 15, 16 and 17, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Opening the case for the prosecution, Ray Tully KC told the jury that Snook had driven the four teenagers from Hartcliffe to Knowle West ‘on the hunt’ to take ‘revenge’ after a group of young men had attacked a house in Hartcliffe at around 10pm on Saturday, January 27, this year.
Mr Tully told the court the case is linked to a BS4 and BS13 postcode rivalry between Knowle and Hartcliffe, which has been going on ‘for years’. The court heard that an hour after the Hartcliffe incident, Snook was driving the four teens around Knowle West, when they spotted Max and Mason, who were just leaving Mason’s home in Ilminster Avenue.
But the court was told the pair had ‘nothing to do with the earlier attack whatsoever’, and the group had wrongly identified them and attacked them. The court heard each of the four boys exited the car armed with weapons, chased, caught and attacked the two boys.
The fatal stabbings of both boys happened in just 33 seconds, the jury was told. They were shown a series of CCTV images in Ilminster Avenue, charting the timings and positions as the four teenagers chased and caught Max and Mason. The videos show the four teenagers getting out of the vehicle at 23 seconds past 11.14pm on that Saturday evening, and all four were back in the car at 56 seconds past 11.14pm.
“It took half a minute for these defendants to get out of this car, to chase the two boys to fatally attack them and to get back into the Audi and to be driving off,” said Ray Tully, prosecuting.
Mr Tully also outlined the case against Antony Snook, the 45-year-old who drove the car that took the four teenagers from Hartcliffe to Knowle West.
He said: “Antony Snook could not have been in any doubt as to what they were intending to do as he drove them around the streets of South Bristol for nearly quarter of an hour, hunting for their victims. We say he too bears full responsibility for what happened. Without his willingness to drive four ‘tooled up’ teenagers out looking to attack those they thought responsible for the [earlier] attack, without the wheels, these two killings would never have happened. We suggest he bears as much responsibility as the others for what happened.”
As it happens: Double murder trial updates from court
Read more: Two teenage boys murdered in case of mistaken identity, court told
Mr Tully said Max and Mason split up as they ran away, but were quickly caught, as the four defendants split up too. He said this showed it was a joint attack, and each was jointly responsible for the murder of the two boys. “We suggest it is important to remember this, when we are looking at the detail of this, that ultimately which defendant attacked which of the two boys came down in reality to no more than random chance, as to who went after who,” said Mr Tully.
“The defendants were after both boys. That was their task, their mission. When Max and Mason divided up as they ran away, the defendants also had to divide up to ensure they could get them both.
“The decision as to who chased who, that decision was made on the hoof in a split second. Both of the boys were the target of those who got out of the car. The overall aim was to attack both boys,” he added.
“They didn’t care which of the two boys they individually got, so long as all four of them got both of them – which is sadly what they were able to do.” The trial continues.
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