Two boys ‘murdered in revenge attack’ over brick thrown at home in case of mistaken identity, jury told
Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, were stabbed in a case of mistaken identity after they were wrongly blamed for an earlier attack on a property, a court heard
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Two teenage boys were stabbed to death in a case of mistaken identity by a pack of “tooled up” youths who were on a mission for “revenge”, a court heard.
Jurors at Bristol Crown Court were shown CCTV footage of the moment Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, were allegedly attacked by four teenage boys who jumped out of an Audi Q2 being driven by Antony Snook, 45.
In images captured by a camera on Mason’s home, the group can be seen leaving the vehicle and attacking the boys for just over 30 seconds before getting back into the car which drives away.
Mason was seen clutching his side and “prone on the floor” on the road outside his family home in the Knowle West area of Bristol, before collapsing in the street. Max and Mason both sustained stab wounds and died from their injuries.
Snook, Riley Tolliver, 18, and three teenage boys aged 15, 16, 17 are accused of murdering the two schoolboys in the fatal stabbing on 27 January.
Opening the prosecution’s case, Ray Tully KC claimed Snook and the teens had targeted the two friends in a case of mistaken identity after wrongly blaming them for bricks thrown at a property in the Hartcliffe area of Bristol.
Mr Tully said the group set off in the car armed with weapons after the vandalism incident, in which a woman was injured.
The court also heard there had been a “rivalry” between Knowle West and Hartcliffe - two parts of south Bristol - for many years.
“They were tooled up,” Mr Tully told the court. “They had some pretty fearsome weapons with them.
“The five occupants of the car drove from Hartcliffe to Knowle West. As they set off, we say, they were on the hunt for the people they thought were responsible for the attack on the house.
“They set off together, they were on a joint mission, and we say that was for revenge.”
He alleged all five, including Snook – who he described as the “getaway driver” – were jointly responsible for the fatal stabbing shortly after 11pm.
“As they drove past Max and Mason walking down the street, they thought they had spotted the people responsible for the earlier attack - or at the very least, people connected to it,” he added.
“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.”
The jury were shown two machetes which Mr Tully said had been recovered following the fatal attacks.
CCTV played to the court showed the Audi car stopping alongside Max and Mason, with four figures - said to be the four teenage defendants - exiting the vehicle.
“Within a second or two of them getting out of the car, the two boys must have realised something was up,” Mr Tully said.
“We see Max and Mason turning around and trying to run away, running back towards the address they’d just left. They were chased by all four of the young defendants in the dock. All four were armed with weapons.”
Mr Tully said the prosecution’s case was that the five defendants “acted jointly and are all jointly responsible for what happened”.
“In short, we say they were in it together,” he said.
Mr Tully added: “Their joint attack resulted in both boys being killed. We suggest that given the nature and the type of weapons that they had with them, that they used, that is hardly surprising.
“The adult, Antony Snook, could and would not have been in any doubt about what these four youngsters were intending to do as he drove them round the streets of south Bristol for nearly 15 minutes hunting for their victims.
“We say he bears full responsibility for what his passengers did.
“Without his willingness, as an adult, to provide a car and drive these four young people around south Bristol tooled up, out looking to attack those that they thought were responsible for the attack on the house, these two killings wouldn’t ever have happened.”
Nine men and three women have been sworn as jurors in the case, which is due to last until the end of November.
Mrs Justice May, the trial judge, told the panel that the teenage defendants have special educational needs.
They will be assisted by intermediaries - professionals who will sit with the defendants to help explain proceedings - during the trial, she said.
The trial continues.