Group ‘armed to the teeth’ when boys were killed

Mason (L) and Max died after being stabbed in January

Five people went out in a car "armed to the teeth" looking for revenge after a house was damaged, and murdered two teenagers in a case of mistaken identity, a jury has been told.

Max Dixon, 16, and Mason Rist, 15, suffered fatal stab wounds when they were attacked by four teenagers in Knowle West, Bristol, in January.

Anthony Snook, 45, Riley Tolliver, 18, and three boys aged 15, 16 and 17, are on trial at Bristol Crown Court charged with their murders.

Ray Tully, prosecuting, told the jury that it is the Crown’s case that the murders were carried out by the five defendants as part of a "joint enterprise" brought together by the "desire for revenge".

"We say at the end of the case, having heard all of the evidence, that evidence demonstrates that each of the five defendants in the dock is guilty of the murder of both Max and Mason,” he said in his closing speech.

“There is a glue that links them together and involves all of the individual defendants on the night.

"Each of these four boys are armed. Max and Mason are the focus of their attention and are equal targets for the four."

Max and Mason, who were close friends, had been wrongly identified as being responsible for bricks being thrown at a house in the neighbouring Hartcliffe district earlier that evening, the court was told.

"If there is going to be revenge or retaliation it is going to be against the group who they think is responsible for the attack on that house," added Mr Tully.

The attack was captured on a CCTV camera on Mason’s house

Mr Tully said the four younger defendants were all armed, while Mr Snook was the driver who took them to and from the scene of the attack in Ilminster Avenue on 27 January.

"They intended as a group, we suggest, that both boys should be caused really serious injury. Why else would they be taking weapons?" he asked.

"They have a getaway driver with the engine running, moving his way down the road, enabling them to get away quickly."

Mr Snook has previously told the jury that accusations he was part of a revenge mission were "utter rubbish" and that he thought he was driving his co-accused to a safe house following the earlier attack and did not know any of them were armed.

Mr Tully described Mr Snook’s account to the jury as "little more than pure fiction".

"When you pull apart the threads it very quickly unravels," he said.

"He drove a carful of teenagers armed to the teeth to Knowle West. They are sharking around for targets."

The 15-year-old defendant has admitted murdering Mason but denies murdering Max, while the 17-year-old has admitted the manslaughter of Max but denies his murder, and denies murdering Mason.

Mr Snook, Mr Tolliver and the 16-year-old all deny both counts of murder.

The trial continues.