Five people guilty in case of mistaken-identity double murder of teenage boys in Bristol

Four teenagers and a 45-year-old man have been found guilty of murdering two boys, aged 15 and 16, who were attacked with machetes in a case of mistaken identity.

During a six-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, the jury heard how Max Dixon and Mason Rist were killed in a case of mistaken identity on 27 January, after being wrongly identified as being responsible for an attack on a house with bricks in the Hartcliffe area of the city earlier that evening.

Riley Tolliver, 18, a 16-year-old boy, a 17-year-old boy and getaway driver Antony Snook, 45, were convicted of the murders of Mason, 15, and 16-year-old Max.

A 15-year-old boy was also found guilty of the murder of Max after previously pleading guilty to the murder of Mason.

Max and Mason died from stab wounds after being chased by four armed teenagers in Knowle West, Bristol.

Tolliver, and the three boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been driven to and from the area by Snook as part of a revenge mission.

As the jury foreman returned the guilty verdicts, none of the defendants showed any reaction from the dock, as they sat impassively and stared straight ahead.

Relatives of Max and Mason cried in the public gallery in court as the verdicts were given. Other family members cheered and punched the air.

Tributes to ‘caring’ and ‘lovely’ boys

In a statement released by Avon and Somerset Police, Max’s family said he was a “big character with a happy and joyful look on life”.

His relatives added: “He was funny, kind and caring. He was a huge part of the family and was very popular among his friends. He was full of life and had such a cheeky side, but was always respectful.”

The family said they will “miss everything about him”, adding: “We are broken without him but he would want us to carry on and he wouldn’t want anyone to be down.”

They said that following the outcome of the trial they can now “hopefully begin to process and remember them both and the happy memories both families have of Max and Mason”.

Mason’s uncle David Knight, speaking outside court, described his family as a “big jigsaw puzzle”.

“Mason was a massive part of that jigsaw puzzle and basically that piece of puzzle has now been destroyed and will never be replaced,” he said.

His family added: “Mason was a quiet boy who would never hurt a fly. He was just so lovely and innocent.”

The fatal stabbings lasted just 33 seconds – with both boys suffering what the court heard were “unsurvivable” injuries and “instant severe blood loss”.

Both died in hospital in the early hours of 28 January.

Detective Superintendent Gary Haskins, the case’s senior investigating officer from Avon and Somerset Police, told Sky News that Max and Mason had nothing to do with the house attack.

“Those boys were not known to their attackers, they were best friends, two beautiful children just going about their lives and attacked for no reason whatsoever,” he said.

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Gang were ‘out for revenge’

Much of the prosecution’s case was based on CCTV and doorbell videos, including a camera on Mason’s own house which captured footage of the knife attack against him.

The pair were seen leaving Mason’s home at around 11.15pm and were going for a pizza.

Prosecutor Ray Tully KC told the jury that the boys were set upon by the group who had been travelling in Snook’s Audi Q2.

He said the gang were “out for revenge”, “acting as a pack” to hunt down those responsible and “tooled up” with fearsome weapons.

After the attackers fled, Max and Mason were left bleeding in the street.

The investigation involved more than 230 police officers and staff – with thousands of pieces of evidence analysed.

Hundreds mourned victims at school

The teenage victims were in year 11 together at the Oasis Academy John Williams secondary school and were preparing to sit their GCSEs this summer.

The school’s headteacher Victoria Boomer-Clark told Sky News that everyone rallied to support fellow pupils and staff.

She said: “I can remember trying to prepare for that Monday morning and my memories now are how exceptionally strong our young people are and how we have a real sense of community.

“Unbeknownst to us the young people had arranged to hold a vigil on the playground during breaktime on that first Monday. We had hundreds of young people and staff coming together in silence.”

Ms Boomer-Clark said the boys would have attended school prom this summer.

“We had a wall that was lit up in red for Mason and Liverpool football club and a wall in blue for Park Knowle Football Club,” she said. “The year group came together and supported each other through it.”

Detective had never seen ‘horrific’ weapons before

The murders came before a new law was introduced banning ownership of zombie-style knives and machetes.

Detective Superintendent Haskins said: “The weapons used in the attack on Mason and Max were simply horrific.

“In all my service I’ve not seen a weapon like the one we saw used on those two boys.

“There is no place for a weapon of that type in society for any reason whatsoever.”

The detective praised the boy’s families, who attended court throughout the trial.

He added: “I’m humbled by the families involved in this investigation. They’ve been at court every day, they’ve seen things at court that no parent should ever be exposed to.”

Snook will be sentenced on 19 November at Bristol Crown Court.

The other four defendants will be sentenced on 16 December following the preparation of pre-sentence reports.

Police are continuing to investigate the Hartcliffe house attack and search for those responsible.