Pathologist says boys' injuries were unsurvivable

Mason Rist (L) and Max Dixon (R) were killed in a case of mistaken identity linked to a long-running postcode rivalry

Two teenagers who were stabbed to death in a case of mistaken identity sustained "unsurvivable injuries", a court has heard.

Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, died after being attacked in Ilminster Avenue, in Knowle West, Bristol, on 27 January.

The five people on trial for their murders are Antony Snook, 45, Riley Tolliver, 18, and three boys aged 15, 16 and 17, who cannot be named due to their age.

A post-mortem examination revealed Mason sustained one stab wound to his back and another to his chest. Max was stabbed once in his "right flank", which would have resulted in "severe blood loss".

CCTV footage captured Max and Mason smiling as they left Mason's home together, just seconds before they were set upon by their attackers

On Tuesday, Home Office pathologist Dr Russell Delaney gave evidence about post-mortem examinations he conducted on both boys.

He said: "[Mason] died despite extensive resuscitative measures. In my opinion, these were unsurvivable injuries."

Mason also sustained grazes to his left ear, nose, chin and left knee "in keeping with a collapse to the ground", the pathologist added.

The court heard the boys' injuries were caused by "moderate" force, though Dr Delaney could not rule out "more severe force" being used.

He also noted that neither boy had sustained any defensive-type injuries, for example to their hands or arms, in an attempt to protect themselves.

Three masked individuals had targeted a home in Hartcliffe on the night of the murders, in a completely unrelated attack

The jury of nine men and three women previously heard that Mason and Max had been wrongly identified as being responsible for an attack on a house in the Hartcliffe area of Bristol earlier that evening.

At about 22:00 GMT, three masked individuals were caught on CCTV outside the property, wielding machetes and throwing bricks through the windows, injuring a woman inside.

Ray Tully KC, prosecuting, said an hour later, Snook, Tolliver and the three teenage boys left the Hartcliffe area in Snook’s Audi Q2, "hell-bent on revenge".

CCTV images captured from Mason's home showed the Audi arriving on Ilminster Avenue and four people jumping out, armed with "fearsome weapons".

They are then captured on multiple cameras chasing the boys down the road before inflicting the fatal injuries, the court was told.

The 15-year-old defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has admitted murdering Mason but denies murdering Max.

Another boy, 17, has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Max, but denies murdering Max and Mason.

The other defendants on trial deny murder on both counts.

The trial continues.