A heartbroken mum said police had a ‘missed opportunity’ to stop a boy who killed her beloved son, when he told the police a machete he had was part of his fishing supplies
The mum of a murdered teen was told police found her son’s killer with a machete just days before the attack – but told cops it was for fishing.
Nikki Knight’s son, Mason Rist, 15, and his friend, Max Dixon, 16, were “hunted down” and stabbed in a “revenge attack” after being wrongly identified as culprits of from earlier incident. The two pals were on their way to get a pizza in Bristol when Anthony Snook, 45, arrived in his Audi with Riley Tolliver, 18, Kodi Wescott, 17, and two teenagers, aged 15, 16 and 17, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
But Nikki, 52, said she was recently given details of a vital ‘missed opportunity’ to stop the killings when Snook wasn’t detained, despite a machete being found in the boot of his car eight days earlier.
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The mum claimed she was never told of the incident at the time that she believes could have prevented the double murder. It has since emerged Snook evaded justice by telling cops he was a keen fisher and the weapon was part of his regular equipment.
She said: “The authorities have failed the kids. Just days before the murders they found a machete in the boot of Anthony Snook’s car. We were never told about that in the trial. He was not arrested and it was not given as evidence. I’ve just found out about it. I asked the police why they didn’t tell me. The worst thing about it is they sent him on his way. Just days later he has murdered two innocent boys.”
CCTV footage – from Nikki’s house – captured the horrific 33 second attack which began when four youths jump out of the vehicle on Mason’s doorstep, just metres from the family home in Knowle, Bristol, where he grew up with his siblings.
Brandishing weapons including a machete, zombie knife and baseball bat, Max and Mason suffered “unsurvivable” stab wounds before the attackers fled. During the trial, Snook had tried to claim he didn’t know the teens were armed and denied any of the knives could have already been in his car.
But Nikki said she was only recently told that just eight days earlier, on Friday, January 19, 2024, Snook had a machete-style knife confiscated.
The incident was reported for “further enquiries” but Snook wasn’t arrested and was allowed to continue his journey. He had reportedly told cops he was an “avid angler” and the knife was part of his fishing equipment.
Last year, the Crown Prosecution Service ruled it was not in the public interest to pursue the possession charge against Snook after he was sentenced to a minimum 38 years for the double murder of Max and Mason.
Avon and Somerset Police said the way the incident was dealt with was reviewed and deemed its officer’s actions “entirely appropriate”, and no further action would be taken. But Nikki said the authorities as a whole had “failed” the victims.
She added: “I am going to see a solicitor as there are serious failings. There are problems all along the line. If he was remanded then this tragedy wouldn’t have happened. The police never told me what happened. They have since confirmed it, they just let him go. That was the end of conversation.
“They just took the weapon off him and sent him on his way. I want to sue the council, social services and police. The kids were all under review. What are they doing to do? A serious case review? It is too little too late. They should have kept our kids safe, but they failed them badly.”
She added: “If not for Snook, this wouldn’t have happened. He got the biggest sentence as he was the adult who made all this happen. It is all too late now.”
Nikki added: “My aim for 2026 is to hold people accountable for what happened. This is not about money at all. I am talking to solicitors hoping to get somewhere. I have got fight in me. I am not having this. They have all got to be held accountable. Police said there was a safeguarding need. I said to police ‘you failed then’.”
Nikki said she was planning to use her battle to give her a purpose after acknowledging she was struggling to cope with her loss. She added: “All the authorities and organisations failed them. They need to take responsibility and action so it does not happen again. But we all know it will happen to another family. There is no point having all these reviews until they actually implement something.
“It’s just about shifting blame, nothing is fit for justice. I don’t know how I am holding it together.” She added: “I’ve only just got Mason’s phone back but I’ve not been able to turn it on yet. People say time’s a healer but personally, two years on, I feel like I am falling apart.”
Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: “We detained and reported Snook at the roadside for being in possession of a bladed article (after a knife was found in his boot) which he stated he used for fishing. The knife was seized and the case against him was not continued after he was charged and later sentenced for the murder.”
