Five convicted of the murders of Bristol teenagers Mason Rist and Max Dixon

Five people, including four youths who cannot be named because of their ages, have been convicted at Bristol Crown Court of the murders of teenagers Mason Rist and Max Dixon, who were attacked and killed on the Knowle area of the city in January 2024.

All five defendants were convicted of both murders. One had previously pleaded guilty to the murder of Mason, but had denied killing Max. 

The Crown Prosecution Service worked with closely with Avon and Somerset Police to build the strongest possible case against the five defendants and prove that they were jointly responsible for the tragic killings.

Vicky Cook, the Chief Crown Prosecutor for the South West of England, said: 

“The deaths of Max and Mason sent shockwaves through their community and the city of Bristol. 

“The Crown Prosecution Service worked closely with our colleagues in the Avon and Somerset Major Crime Investigation Team to build our case. This was that all five defendants were jointly responsible for the murders of both Max and Mason. 

“Regardless of which individuals caused any of the fatal injuries, the evidence shows that all five were working together, and share joint responsibility for this terrible crime.

“The four youths armed themselves and went hunting for people to attack. When they came across Max and Mason, they launched a brutal, joint attack that left both boys fatally injured.

“Antony Snook drove the youths around while they looked for people to attack. He knew that they were heavily armed and out for revenge. He could have been in no doubt about what they intended to do.

“Snook waited for the youths while they carried out their cowardly attack, then acted as their getaway driver, helping them to escape the scene. 

“Today’s verdicts serve as a reminder that the carrying of knives and other bladed weapons can only lead to tragedy. The loss that has been suffered by the families of Max and Mason is simply unimaginable, and our thoughts remain with them.”

Case details

At around 11:15 on the night of Saturday 27 January 2024, Max and Mason left the Mason’s family home in Ilminster Avenue, Knowle. Almost immediately, the two boys were passed by an Audi Q2 car being driven by the adult defendant, Antony Snook. The other four defendants were passengers in his car.

The car stopped and the four youths got out. They were armed with an assortment of weapons, including machetes, a bat and a sword. The group gave chase to Max and Mason and attacked them. Max and Mason were both stabbed, and died of their wounds later the night. 

The motive for the attack was revenge, but it was a case of mistaken identity. The attackers were looking for some youths who had thrown bricks through the windows of a house on Vowell Close, Hartcliffe, earlier that evening, but they had the wrong people: Max and Mason had not been involved in the incident.

CCTV footage provided clear evidence that each of the defendants was involved in the joint attack upon both boys. Following the attack, additional CCTV footage from a camera at the house on Vowell Close captured a fire being lit in the back garden, followed by clothing being burned.

One of the youths subsequently pleaded guilty to the murder of Mason, but denied killing Max. The other defendants all admitted their involvement in the attack, but denied murder.