The driver of the car that took four teenagers to Knowle West to launch a fatal attack on Max Dixon and Mason Rist was accused of leaving one to ‘die in the road’, a court heard.
Antony Snook was also accused of veering almost onto the pavement to shine his headlights on a stricken Mason Rist, to ‘show the other boys’, who had just got back into his car, what had happened to him. Prosecution barrister Ray Tully further accused Snook of being ‘more interested in saving your own skin than his’.
The 45-year-old, who denies two counts of murder, told Mr Tully that he didn’t realise how serious what had just happened on Ilminster Avenue that night, and claimed he didn’t see the teenagers were wielding large swords and a baseball bat as they got out of his car, ran down the road and got back into it following the attack.
In continued cross-examination, Mr Tully said Snook’s account of his actions that night were ‘utter rubbish’, and he led the 45-year-old through the CCTV clips of the attack that left Max, 16, and Mason, 15, with fatal stab injuries.
It showed Snook driving his Audi Q2 vehicle along Ilminster Avenue, stopping and four teenagers, also accused of murder, getting out with long bladed weapons and a baseball bat. They chased Max and Mason down the road, and Snook followed behind, stopping again as the first two get back into his vehicle, then a third, after attacking Mason Rist as he lay on the ground on the pavement opposite his house.
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Snook continued driving, and a fourth teenager got back into the car further down the road, before Snook carried out a three-point turn and drove back past where Mason was trying to get up, leaning against a wall.
“It must’ve been obvious to you that he had just been assaulted by the boys getting into your car,” said Mr Tully, prosecuting. “It was afterwards, but not at the time,” replied Snook. “I didn’t realise he had been assaulted. It was only afterwards when I was arrested, that I found out.
“My suggestion is you’ve just seen the 17-year-old striking at him with what we now know is that long knife,” repeated Mr Tully. “It must have been obvious to you that Mason had just been seriously assaulted?” to which Snook replied ‘no’.
“You didn’t stop for him?” asked Mr Tully. “No,” replied Snook.
“Let’s see what you did instead of stopping and helping him. You drive down and pick up the 16-year-old [defendant], and turned around and have gone back,” said Mr Tully, showing the video to the court. “Your headlights were right on that boy (Mason) as he was against the wall trying to prop himself up. You’ve got now all four boys in your car. Did you deliberately drive back towards him to see what had happened to him?” he asked Snook. “No,” the defendant replied.
“Were you looking to see him and show him to the other boys?” Mr Tully asked. “No, that was the first time I seen him,” Snook replied.
“Did you think to try to stop and help that boy?” asked Mr Tully. “I was thinking ‘why have I been dragged into this?’ I wanted to get on and go home,” replied Snook.
“It was obvious to you that he had just been seriously assaulted, wasn’t it?” asked Mr Tully. “He was moving,” said Snook. “I didn’t see anyone with any weapons or anything like that.”
Mr Tully responded: “You were thinking of one thing, and that was you.”
“I wanted to get out of it. Get out of the situation that I was in,” said Snook. Mr Tully responded by asking: “You wanted to get you and the boys out of it. You left that boy to die in that road didn’t you?” to which Snook replied: “No”
“But that was what was going to happen?” said Mr Tully. “Yes,” replied Snook. “You were more interested in saving your own skin, than his,” said Mr Tully. “I had no knowledge of the severity of it,” replied Snook.
It is the third day this week that Antony Snook has been giving evidence in his own defence in the witness box, and the second he has been cross-examined by prosecutor KC Ray Tully. Earlier this morning (Thursday, October 31), Mr Tully led Snook through the sequence of events from the time he got in his car with two teenagers in Hartcliffe that night, picked up two more just down the road and then drove around Knowle West, passing the same spot twice in the space of three minutes.
Snook repeated his defence that he was only following directions and thought he was driving the young people to ‘a safe house’ after a house in Hartcliffe had been attacked around an hour earlier.
“It’s very confusing, to be fair,” said Snook. “I don’t know what to say to you. I was just taking directions,” he added.
“You could tell us the truth, Mr Snook,” said Mr Tully. “That is the truth,” said Snook.
Mr Tully repeatedly questioned Snook about who was giving him directions from the back seat. Referring to the ages of the defendants at the time, he asked: “Which of the 14, 15, 16 and 17 year olds was directing the 44 year old driving the car?” Snook replied that he didn’t know.
“Is the truth that you, together with four people in your car, were searching? You were on the look out for certain people?” asked Mr Tully. “No that’s ridiculous,” replied Snook.
“And what you and the others were doing was driving around looking to see if you could find the people that you and the others thought were responsible for the attack on the house in Hartcliffe?” continued Mr Tully. “No not at all,” answered Snook.
“That is what was happening wasn’t it? You were sharking weren’t you? On the lookout for the people responsible?” said Mr Tully. “No not at all. I didn’t know who was responsible,” replied Snook.
Antony Snook, 45, and 18-year-old Riley Tolliver are charged with two counts of murder, along with three teenagers aged 17, 16 and 15, who can’t be named for legal reasons.
All five have pleaded ‘not guilty’ to both murders, apart from the 15-year-old, who has pleaded guilty to the murder of Mason Rist, and the 17-year-old, who has admitted the manslaughter of Max Dixon, but denies murder.
The case continues – follow updates from court here.
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