It’s been another busy week for the Bristol legal system. A man was jailed for the murder of two teenagers, a rogue trader was jailed for scamming a victim out of her life savings and a 92-year-old man was accused of raping and killing a woman over 50 years ago.
The list of crimes stories this week also includes an alleged shooting in Birmingham and a grisly court case of a tattooed man who murdered his best friend in Derbyshire. The courts have been busy to ensure that justice is served against those who break the law.
Here is a selection of major crime stories that you may have missed over the last week, as reported by Bristol Live.
Man jailed for murdering Mason Rist and Max Dixon
A man was convicted of the double murder of Mason Rist and Max Dixon in Bristol. Antony Snook drove four armed teenagers to kill the teenagers earlier this year.
He was jailed for life at Bristol Crown Court and won’t be eligible for parole for more than 37 years. This means he will be past his his 82nd birthday before he can ask the parole board.
The judge said he was the only adult involved in the horrific double murder and had ‘multiple opportunities to stop this madness’. But the one-legged landscape gardener was ‘so weak and cowardly’ that when he was asked to drive the four armed teenagers from Hartcliffe into Knowle West that night on a revenge mission.
He agreed and was ‘wholly responsible’ for 14 minutes of the group hunting around the estate looking for someone to attack. For the full story, click here.
Woman denies murdering Bristol man almost 14 months after fatal attack
A Bristol woman has denied murdering a 61-year-old man in St Paul’s. The fatal stabbing took place over a year ago.
Hubert “Isaac” Brown, from Easton, was attacked on Grosvenor Road on Friday, 29 September 2023. He suffered a stab wound from which he then tragically died.
Christina Howell, 37, also from Easton, was arrested that same day. She entered a not guilty plea at Bristol Crown Court last Friday (November 22).
For the full story, click here.
Rogue trader jailed for scamming woman out of life savings
A rogue trader from Bristol has been jailed for “preying on vulnerable people”. Richard Williams, 53, traded under numerous names including Williams Roofing, Roofability, Roofing Home Service and R&K Property & Building Contractors to carry out fraudulent work on a “large scale”.
Bristol Crown Court heard how he scammed 19 victims, aged from 31 to 99, of over £368,000 between January 2021 and August 2023. His victims lived across Bristol and South Gloucestershire, including Alveston, Clifton, Filton, Horfield, Longwell Green, Shirehampton and Westbury-on-Trym.
Williams scammed one of his victims out of her life savings as well as bank loans and loans from family for various building works to her property including a boundary wall, a granny annex and a new roof. She paid Williams almost £155,000 and the surveyor valued the work at less than £5,000.
For the full story, click here.
Man, 92, faces trial next year accused of rape and murder of Bristol woman 57 years ago
A 92-year-old man will face trial next year accused of the rape and murder of a woman who was found strangled to death in her home 57 years ago. Ryland Headley is accused of killing 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Her body was found by a neighbour inside her home on Britannia Road in the Easton area of Bristol on June 28 1967.
The cause of her death was recorded as strangulation and asphyxiation. Headley is accused of the rape and murder of Ms Dunne on dates between June 26 and 29.
For the full story, click here.
Bristol Waste fraud probe concludes with five people referred to Crown Prosecution Service
Five people suspected of alleged fraud at Bristol Waste have been referred by police to the Crown Prosecution Service. It comes after an Avon and Somerset Police investigation.
The inquiry centres around allegations dating back to 2020 that individuals who were working for the firm at the time took payments to misreport the amount of waste being brought into the business’s Avonmouth depot. Officers have quizzed six people – five men and one woman – who attended voluntary interviews at a police station since the start of the probe.
The force has now referred the names of five of them to the CPS to consider whether to charge them with criminal offences. The sixth person is no longer part of the investigation.
For the full story, click here.