The 45-year-old man who was found guilty of jointly murdering 16-year-old Max Dixon and 15-year-old Mason Rist has been jailed.
Antony Snook, of Hartcliffe, was sentenced to life in prison at Bristol Crown Court today (Tuesday 19 November) after a jury found him guilty of killing the two boys in Ilminster Avenue, in Knowle, Bristol, on Saturday 27 January this year.
Max, 16, and Mason, 15, were described by their families as ‘the best of friends’ who ‘wouldn’t hurt a fly’.
Snook both facilitated and drove the ‘getaway car’ for Riley Tolliver, of Weston-super-Mare, and three others, whom cannot be named because of their age.
During a six-week trial, the jury were told how Snook had driven the ‘pack’ from Hartcliffe to Knowle West as they went hunting for revenge following an earlier incident in Hartcliffe.
Snook was the only defendant to take the stand and plead his case to the jurors, where he stated he didn’t know the teens were ‘armed to the teeth’, as Lead Prosecutor Ray Tully KC had described to the jury when presenting the Prosecution’s case.
Snook claimed he thought he was driving them to a safe place and had no knowledge of their malicious intentions or the weapons they had in their possession – two of which measured approximately 48cm and 51cm in length.
Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) Det Supt Gary Haskins, from the Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT), described Snook’s defence as ‘fanciful’ and a ‘complete fabrication in a bid to escape conviction’.
He added: “Snook was the adult in that situation. He should have taken responsibility and stopped the four other defendants from committing such a heinous crime.
“We put forward a basis of joint enterprise to the jury, meaning that even those who didn’t cause any physical harm to Max or Mason did nothing to deter the others and were even argued to be encouraging their actions.
“Snook played the role of the facilitator and the driver of the getaway car. He drove them around Knowle like a pack on the hunt, before turning into Ilminster Avenue. He then saw the attack play out and then drove them away from the scene. If it wasn’t for him, the boys may well still be alive.”
Snook was the first to be arrested in the investigation, in just under an hour since the first call to police was received.
When delivering the sentence, The Honourable Mrs Justice May referred to Snook as a ‘weak’ and ‘cowardly’ man who had multiple opportunities to stop the attack.
She added: “For reasons which are impossible to fathom, you lent yourself and your Audi Q2 to a mission into Knowle to exact revenge.
“In convicting you of murder, the jury plainly rejected your account of taking the four boys to a safe house, of not knowing they had weapons. They were sure that you knew what the teenagers in your car were up to, and assisted them in doing it.
“You all went hunting for victims around the streets of Knowle – sharking as the prosecution put it. You would have experienced the atmosphere in that car, felt the mad, chaotic bloodlust of the four armed teens, yet on you went.
“Mason and Max were simply and tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing can undo the dreadful events of that night last January. Nothing can bring Mason and Max back. No sentence which this court passes can lessen the sense of loss and grief caused to their families.”
During the sentencing hearing, Mason’s sister, Chloe, spoke in court about her ‘kind, sweet’ brother who she described as ‘so vulnerable and harmless’.
Chloe added: “He wasn’t just my little brother, he was my best friend. He was the funniest person I have ever met. He was silly, funny and the joker of the family. We all miss him dearly in a need so overwhelmingly strong.
“Every time I see a kid coming out of school, I think that should be my brother. Every time I see a kid having fun, I think that should be my brother.
“He won’t ever get married, or have children, he will never get older in pictures… there were so many things he wanted to do and he was so worthy of a good life. It is like he is lost and I am trying to find him… Mason was a good kid who never upset anyone. Everything he did was with pure kindness.
“I will never forgive you for what you have done… he could have been your friend and now he is your victim.”
Kayleigh, Max’s sister, also read a statement in court, directed at Snook and the other defendants.
She said: “It was 33 seconds. 33 sinister, moral seconds and my life changed.
“None of [the defendants] knew anything about my brother Max or Mason, about how special and important they were to their families, how they were both a pleasure to know and how kind they were and how much they will be desperately missed.
“I want [the defendants] to know they you killed me that day. You ripped out my heart and soul. It is broken and unfixable.
“I had so much more to learn and watch from Max as he grew up, to teach him, to guide him through life as a big sister, to always be there to love and support him. He had so much to learn and know about me and yet you have robbed me of a lifetime of love and memories by your malicious actions.”
Along with his two life sentences, which run concurrently, Snook will serve a minimum term of 38 years in prison, minus days already served, before he will be eligible for parole.
Riley Tolliver and the three juveniles will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Monday 16 December.
The judge awarded Crown Court Commendations were awarded to Det Supt Haskins, Case Manager DS Craig Basil and officer in the case DC Matthew Cron. The judge also recognised the efforts of the wider investigative team and the composure displayed throughout by the families.
