Harrowing moment 'innocent' boys 'hunted and knifed to death by killers

Harrowing CCTV has captured the moment that two close friends were murdered in an alleged case of mistaken identity.

Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, from Bristol, tragically died after they were stabbed to death. The pair were seen leaving Mason's home on Ilminster Avenue in the Knowle West area shortly after 11pm on January 27.

Footage showed four teenage boys armed with some what the prosecution described as "some pretty fearsome weapons" as they drove past them in an Audi Q2 car. Bristol Crown Court heard how the group believed that Mason and Max had hurled bricks at a house in the Hartcliffe area earlier that evening. The four teens reportedly hopped out of the vehicle and knifed them.

The boys died in hospital in the early hours of the morning after the 33-second attack. The attackers fled the scene in the Audi. Antony Snook, 45, Riley Tolliver, 18, and three boys aged 17, 16 and 15 – who cannot be named due to their age – are on trial each charged with two counts of murder.

The 15-year-old boy has admitted murdering Mason but denies murdering Max. The 17-year-old boy has admitted manslaughter relating to Max but denies murdering him and Mason. Snook is alleged to have driven the Audi Q2, while Tolliver and the three teenage boys are said to have been passengers, the jury previously heard.

On Monday, Ray Tully QC took the jury through multiple CCTV clips showing the lead-up to the attack, and the vehicle driving from the scene. Part of the footage, which was released to the media after being played in court, allegedly shows three of the teenage boys chasing after Mason and Max.

Mr Tully previously told how a property in the Hartcliffe area of Bristol – which he said had a “rivalry” with the Knowle West area – was targeted at about 10pm on January 27. CCTV footage showed people outside the house holding machetes and throwing bricks at the windows. A woman was left injured in the incident.

An hour later, Snook, Tolliver and the three teenage boys allegedly left the Hartcliffe area in Snook’s car armed with “fearsome weapons” and “hell-bent on revenge”, Mr Tully said. They drove past Mason and Max, who had just left Mason’s home, and wrongly believed they had spotted those responsible for the attack.

Mr Tully previously told the jury: “They were entirely wrong about that. Max and Mason had absolutely nothing to do with any earlier incident and no connection whatsoever with those events.” Mason and Max were found lying fatally wounded on Ilminster Avenue and treated at the scene by police and paramedics.

Mason was pronounced dead at Bristol Children’s Hospital at 12.49am, while Max was pronounced dead at Southmead Hospital at 1.02am. Home Office pathologist Dr Russell Delaney concluded that both boys died from stab wounds. Snook was arrested at his home address about an hour after the incident, which took place shortly after 11pm on January 27, and the other defendants were arrested in the following days.

Snook, Tolliver, the 16-year-old boy and the 17-year-old boy are charged with murdering Mason together with the 15-year-old boy on January 27 this year. Snook, Tolliver and the three teenage boys are charged with murdering Max on the same date. The trial continues.