Antony Snook, 45, has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 38 years for his involvement in the brutal machete murders of two teenagers in Bristol.
Snook, a one-legged landscape gardener, played a key role in the deaths of 15-year-old Mason Rist and 16-year-old Max Dixon. The victims were fatally attacked in January this year by a group of teenagers while they were out getting a late-night pizza. The court heard that the killings were a case of mistaken identity in a revenge attack.
On the night of the attack, Snook drove 18-year-old Riley Tolliver and three other armed teenagers to the Knowle West area of Bristol. The group, armed with machetes, targeted Mason and Max outside Mason’s home on Ilminster Avenue. CCTV footage showed the teenagers splitting up to chase the boys on opposite sides of the street. Tolliver, armed with a baseball bat, and one of the others attacked Mason, while the remaining teens pursued Max.
The attackers fatally stabbed both boys, with Mason also being struck while lying on the ground after being injured. The victims died from their injuries in the early hours of January 28.
Snook’s car was spotted circling the area for over 12 minutes before the attack, and he remained waiting while the teenagers carried out the crime. Mrs. Justice May, passing sentence, described Snook’s actions as “weak and cowardly,” noting that he had multiple opportunities to prevent the attack but failed to do so.
“You assisted the armed boys. You knew they were carrying weapons,” Justice May said. “With knives in their hands and revenge in their minds, a very serious outcome was a certainty. Death was a matter of chance. You were the only adult. There were multiple opportunities for you to stop this madness.”
She praised the dignity of Mason and Max’s families, who attended the six-week trial, describing the two victims as “two good boys from loving homes with their whole lives ahead of them.”
Snook showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down.
