Max and Mason: Four people detained for almost 80 years for 'brutal' Bristol murders

Four teenagers who murdered two innocent boys with machetes in a case of mistaken identity have been detained for life.

Kodi-Shai 'Kodi' Wescott, 17, Riley Tolliver, 18, and two other teenagers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stabbed best friends Max Dixon, 16, and Mason Rist, 15, in Knowle on the night of 27 January.

The four teenagers along with getaway driver Anthony Snook, 44, were all convicted of double murder following a trial at Bristol Crown Court.

Mrs Justice May told the 15-year-old and 16-year-old youths convicted of murdering Max Dixon, 16, and Mason Rist, 15, in Knowle West, Bristol, earlier this year that they would be detained at His Majesty’s pleasure.

“You were part of a group who attacked and killed two boys,” the judge told the defendants, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

“The boys you killed were Mason Rist and Max Dixon. They were your age. They had done nothing wrong. They didn’t attack the house, they had nothing to do with it.

“You have heard how much pain you have caused to their families.

“Max and Mason’s families must go on without them in a different way. Your lives will change too. As Mason’s sister said, there are no winners here.”

She detained the 15-year-old boy for life with a minimum term of 15 years and 229 days, and the 16-year-old boy for life with a minimum term of 18 years and 44 days.

Kodi Wescott received a life sentence with a minimum term of 23 years and 43 days.

The judge told him: "You ran after Max and stabbed him. Your knife was long and sharply pointed. You stabbed Mason on the way back to car and then you got rid of your phone.

She added: "I've read about your father’s illness and his death and you haven’t done anything like this before."

Riley Tolliver was also handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 23 years and 47 days.

The judge said: "You appeared to use a baseball bat twice. You knew how wrong it was. But you were not well looked after.

"You were not properly cared for, your home life meant you missed out on a lot of schooling. Your youth justice worker has said how sorry you are and I believe you."

Judge's remarks on sentencing

Mrs Justice May said: "Mason and Max had been best friends for a long time. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"They had nothing to do whatsoever with the Hartcliffe attack and their brutal cutting down is shocking.

"Mason and Max were good boys and had their whole lives ahead of them. Nothing can undo dreadful events, no sentence can."

Impact on the victims' families

Both Max and Mason's families were in tears as the victim impact statements were read out.

Max's mother Leanne Ekland and Mason's mother Nikki Knight were holding hands. Meanwhile, the defendants were unemotional, looking straight ahead or down.

Mason's sister Chloe brought Mason's ashes, a lock of his hair and his hand prints into court.

She told the court: "Mason was more than a little brother to me, he was my best friend. We were inseparable growing up, he taught me what love is.

"I didn’t make it in time to the hospital and was told Mason was dead on arrival and I couldn’t see him because he was now evidence.

"Just imagine not being able to touch your defenceless brother and cuddle him, or even to say goodbye.

"My mum’s cry I will never get out of my head. My brother, Ross turning up and desperately trying to get in every door to find Mason.

"I ran because I couldn’t be there when he was told. I wanted to die in that moment because it was too much for me to cope with."

After her victim impact statement, Chloe held the ashes, hair and prints up, and said: "This is all I have left of him. He was worthy of life. I hope your sorries are genuine."

His mother, Nikki, said in her statement: "It’s very lonely in my life now as Mason is an impossible role for anything to fill.

"I will never be able to look at my home or feel safe here again. This house was the three of us, then the two of us after Mason's dad died. And now it's just me.

"Mason used to say he was the man of the house, he wanted to protect me, but I now feel I failed to protect him. I always imagined we would live together forever.

"Mason loved Liverpool Football Club, he enjoyed his gaming. He had so much life ahead of him. Until it was taken. He was close to his brother and sister, my grandchildren will now not know their uncle because of what has been taken."

Meanwhile Kayleigh Dixon, Max's sister, said: "I want you all to know that you killed me that day. You ripped out my heart and soul. It’s broken and unfixable.

"I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t function, all I see in my mind is my lifeless brother’s body, I can feel how cold his hands were and how stiff his body was. His soul disappearing from his brown eyes. I want you all to know how much you have traumatised not only me, but my mum, dad and two sisters’.

"If I had known that the last conversation that I was going to have with my beautiful brother was the night before his painful, heart-wrenching death I would have never let that conversation end and I would never have let him out of my sight."

Max's mother Leanne, said: "Max shouldn’t have been out that night, but he should have been safe to walk the streets that he has grown up on, he should have been able to go and get food with his mate Mason. It was something they did often.

"My son didn’t deserve to die, Mason didn’t deserve to die, and our family don’t deserve to have to go through this but due to your actions that night two families have been destroyed and there is no justification for that.

"There are no words to describe how much I love my son, no words to describe the pain of losing him. Our family unit has been destroyed."

Background to the case

The jury heard how the group of teenagers had been on “a joint mission for revenge” following an attack at a property in Hartcliffe.

Just after 10pm the property, where Kodi Wescott lived, was damaged when bricks were thrown by a group of men holding machetes and wearing balaclavas. Wescott’s mum was injured inside.

Afterwards family friend Snook arrived in his car with one of the other defendants and minutes later they left together with Wescott. Both the teenagers were armed with knives.

On their way from Hartcliffe to Knowle, where there had been an ongoing rivalry, they picked up the two other teenagers, including Wescott’s cousin Riley Tolliver.

The court heard how they were “tooled up” with “fearsome weapons” as Snook drove the teenagers around Knowle “on the hunt”.

They came across Max and Mason who were described as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.The two best friends were walking along Ilminster Avenue to go and get a pizza.

The four teenagers, wrongly believing they had found those responsible for the Hartcliffe incident, got out of Snook’s Audi Q2 and attacked.

It took just 33 seconds for Max and Mason to suffer fatal stab wounds. The teens then got back into the Audi and Snook drove them away.

Wescott, Snook and the 16 year-old defendant returned to the property in Hartcliffe. CCTV shows one of the boys carrying a long machete as they sprint inside.

Wescott’s brother Bailey Wescott and Jamie Ogbourne, helped destroy evidence by burning their clothes.

Ogbourne would later provide Wescott and the other 16 year-old defendant “safe harbour” at his flat as well as a burner phone, “a substantial amount of money” and cannabis.

Jamie Ogbourne and Bailey Wescott have both been jailed after pleading guilty to assisting the teenagers.

Antony Snook, who served as the getaway driver, was jailed for life last month, with a minimum term of 38 years.