Teenagers who killed son by mistake have ‘taken my heart’, mother of Bristol murder victim says
The mother of a murdered teenager says the child killers responsible have “taken my heart” and don’t “understand the impact” of what they’ve done.
Max Dixon, 16, and Mason Rist, 15, were stabbed to death by a group of teenage boys in a case of mistaken identity in Bristol in January.
Those responsible – now aged 15, 16 and 17 – along with 18-year-old Riley Tolliver – were given life sentences at Bristol Crown Court today.
In November, their getaway driver, Anthony Snook, 45, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 38 years.
Max Dixon pictured with his mother Leanne. Pic: Handout/Avon and Somerset Police
Mason Rist and Max Dixon were stabbed in January this year. Pic: Family handout via Avon and Somerset Police/PA
Max’s mother, Leanne Ekland, has spoken of the panic she went through when she found out her son was dying on a nearby street.
“Me and my partner Trevor, we were up in bed,” she told Sky News, describing the night of the murders. “Max was at home, in his bedroom on his PlayStation and we didn’t think anything of it.
“Next minute a car pulled up outside my house and was shouting at my window – ‘Max has been stabbed’ – and I said: ‘No he’s not, he’s in bed’.”
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A double murder in a case of mistaken identity
Leanne rushed to Ilminster Avenue in the Knowle West area of the city and was allowed by paramedics to sit with her son.
“It was just such a panic, I don’t know what I was thinking, I was sat down on the floor and the paramedics were cutting his clothes,” she said.
Max had met his friend Mason at his home on the Saturday evening to get pizza – but within seconds of leaving were attacked by a group armed with machetes.
The gang were seeking revenge for an attack with bricks on a house in Hartcliffe in Bristol an hour earlier – but both boys had nothing to do with it.
Max Dixon. Pic: Avon and Somerset Police/PA
‘They didn’t do anything wrong’
The gang’s deadly attack was caught on Mason’s home CCTV.
Leanne said: “When I see Max and Mason on the CCTV, when I see them meet up with each other, I just look at him and I can see him smiling.
“And what’s sad is those boys don’t know what’s going to happen to them when they walk out that gate.
“They must have been petrified. They were just going to get some food.
“They’ve done nothing wrong.”
Leanne added: “I had no idea why they were targeted. Then obviously when I was told, that’s hard. That’s hard to comprehend.
“Because there’s no reason for Max and Mason not to be here today. They didn’t do anything wrong… but sadly they lost their lives.”
Mason Rist with his mum Nikki and his cousin. Pic: Handout/Avon and Somerset Police
Her child’s murderers, Leanne said, have “taken my heart”.
She added: “I love my girls deeply but they’ve also taken my son. I now need to repair my life without him.
“Everyone says it will get better but I don’t think it will. Because he was a massive part of my family and I don’t want to move on.
“He was the glue of our family and to think I’ve got to move on without him is hard. They need to understand that – they destroyed me.”
‘Trial was hardest thing I’ve ever had to do’
Leanne attended much of the trial at Bristol Crown Court, which showed CCTV footage of the attack.
She said no family should have to go through that sort of process.
“It was very difficult to listen to,” she said. “But as Max’s mum I wanted to hear everything, and I wanted to have questions answered and I wanted to know what my boy went through in the last minutes of his life.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But it’s the only thing I can do for Max… to sit through it and know what he went through.”
All five defendants were found guilty of murder and Leanne said that “allowed me to breathe”.
She added: “When that guilty verdict came back I could actually breathe a little bit because someone was held accountable for those deaths. And it just felt like a weight off my shoulders.”
Mason Rist with his grandmother Gail
‘A lot of parents know what children are up to’
Leanne has worked with her son’s local football club to introduce emergency bleed control kits and has spoken to pupils about the risks of violence and carrying knives at Max’s school.
She said there needs to be more education about knife crime, and children should be taught about the “ripple effect” after using a weapon.
Leanne added: “I think it starts at home. With the parents. Because I think there’s a lot of parents out there that know what their children are up to.
“They know what they’re carrying. And I think obviously it starts at home, before we go anywhere else.”
Asked what she has held close to her since her son’s death, she replied: “Everything. I still have a plate and cup in Max’s bedroom which I will not take out as that’s what he used that night.
“Everything around me, that belongs to Max, is precious and I won’t get rid of that.”
Sir Keir Starmer says he has full confidence in Rachel Reeves after questions were raised about inaccuracies in her CV and her use of expenses in a previous job.
The chancellor has been accused by former employees of being involved in an “expenses scandal” while working at Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) from 2006 to 2009, according to the BBC.
She has also been accused of saying she worked for the Bank of England for longer than she did.
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The prime minister said the chancellor can be trusted and has no concerns about her conduct, Number 10 said.
Ms Reeves’ spokesperson said she was “not aware of an investigation, nor was she interviewed”. Her lawyer has denied the allegations.
One ex-colleague said she nearly got sacked after an investigation into three senior managers accused of “signing off each other’s expenses”.
This included spending hundreds of pounds on handbags, perfume, earrings and wine for colleagues, including one gift for her boss.
A whistleblower said there was also concern about her spending on taxis and on a Christmas party.
In a Facebook group of former HBOS employees seen by the BBC, several people referred to Ms Reeves being investigated over her expenses spending.
Pic: Reuters
Sir Keir’s official spokesman said it was “correct” the prime minister has “no concerns whatsoever” about the chancellor’s conduct and has confidence in her.
He also said: “I can’t speak to her time prior to government.
“The PM works hand in hand and has full faith in the chancellor.”
Sir Keir later said she has “dealt with any issues that arise” from questions about her career before becoming an MP.
Reeves lawyers deny wrongdoing
A spokesperson for Ms Reeves said: “Rachel is proud of the work she did at HBOS and the teams that she led, it is 16 years since she left the bank and the first time she was made aware of these claims was when approached by journalists.
“She was not aware of an investigation nor was she interviewed, and she did not face any disciplinary action on this or any other matters. All expenses were submitted and signed off in the proper way.
“Several former colleagues from her time at the bank, including HBOS’ former HR business partner, have corroborated this account.
“Rachel left HBOS in 2009 on good terms.”
Ms Reeves’s lawyer while she was leaving HBOS denied she had done anything wrong, saying she left HBOS with a “standard-style agreement” after a “mutually agreed exit was made during the bank’s restructure”.
David Sorensen, a managing partner at Morrish Solicitors, added: “My clear understanding at the time was that my client, who was in a senior role, left on good terms when HBOS plc was acquired in 2009, as evidenced by the payments made to her, the retention of her company car and other benefits for a six-month period, and a favourable reference.
“Absolutely no allegations of wrongdoing or misconduct were mentioned by the HBOS HR team during this process.”
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LinkedIn dates questioned
Questions have also been raised about Ms Reeves’ online CV, as her LinkedIn profile said she stayed at the Bank of England nine months longer than she actually did, the BBC has reported.
She has publicly said she spent a decade there, but her LinkedIn profile claimed she worked at the bank from September 2000 to December 2006.
However, she is understood to have left by March 2006, when she started working at HBOS.
That means she spent five and a half years at the bank, including nearly a year studying.
Ms Reeves’ spokesman, in a comment given to the BBC, said the dates on her LinkedIn were inaccurate and blamed an administrative error by her team.
They said the chancellor had not seen it before it was published.
The chancellor’s LinkedIn profile has now been updated to reflect she left the bank in March 2006.
Ms Reeves has repeatedly said she spent 10 years at the Bank of England, citing her time as an economist there as why she can be trusted with the UK’s finances.
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