A MUM has slammed police after they refused to share a mugshot of a teen who chased down and murdered her son and his pal in a horrific case of mistaken identity.
Max Dixon, 16, and Mason Rist, 15, had popped out to buy pizza when they were unwittingly embroiled in a “postcode rivalry” in the Bristol suburb of Knowle.
Their killers had wrongly identified them as the culprits of an earlier attack – leading them to “tool up” with an arsenal of “fearsome weapons”.
Finley Davis, who was 15 at the time, was part of the gang who hunted down Max and Mason and stabbed them to death.
He can now be identified after turning 18 as a reporting restriction expired.
But Avon and Somerset Police has said his mugshot won’t be released as too much time has passed since Davis’ conviction.
Mason’s mum Nikki Knight, 52, said she was “appalled” at the decision, which she felt gave “additional protection” to him that wasn’t afforded to the victims.
She said: “Not having his picture out there gives him some sort of protection and anonymity still. If that is the law then the law needs to be changed. I am sure Davis loves that but I don’t understand why he is still being protected now.
“The judge said he would be allowed to be named when he turned 18, But they still don’t want to give out his picture. “My message to the authorities is, why? The judge never said this couldn’t happen.”
Nikki said she was pleased his name was now out there, which is something she felt should have been done as soon as he was found guilty.
But she added: “It’s good his name is released but they should have all been named anyway at the time.
“The judge made the order so we had to abide by it.
“But now he is 18, we also need to see his face. The public has a right to know who these murderers really are.
“I was angry they weren’t named at the time. We all know some judges do and some don’t. But I think all judges should work the same. You either name them or you don’t. The James Bulger killers were identified – and they were just ten years of age.
“I’ve always been angry about that.
“They should not have any protection. Victims of murder don’t get protected. They have no human rights. So why should the people who did it get protection? “The victims are named. Everyone knew my son straight away and he was only 15. Yet his murderers who were the same age are given more protection than he ever was.
“Mason never got protected. That should be for all victims. Yet all the other authorities seem more concerned about protecting cold-blooded killers.”
Antony Snook, 45, led a bloodthirsty hunt for the attackers in his flashy Audi through the dark streets of Bristol.
Chilling CCTV showed the gang chasing down Max and Mason as they innocently walked down the street together.
Both pals attempted to run back towards Mason’s home nearby but were separated during the hunt.
Mason was knifed once in the back and chest – causing “unsurvivable injuries” – while his best friend was stabbed once in the abdomen.
They tragically died within 15 minutes of each other after being rushed to hospital.
Snook was jailed for life with a minimum of 38 years, while Davis was sentenced to at least 18 years.
Kodishai Wescott, 18, Riley Tolliver, 19, and another boy who still cannot be named due to his age, were also locked up over the 2024 killing.
Mugshots of Max and Mason’s other publicly identified killers have previously been issued.
Official guidance states police forces are the legal copyright owner of mugshots and are responsible for releasing an offender’s custody photo.
The College of Policing states “where practicable and proportionate” it should be prepared to release the image of a person found guilty “on the day of conviction” and in cases where “there is a policing purpose or at the request of the media.”
The guidelines added this was “unless there is a court order or other legitimate reason not to do so” or if “exceptional reasons exist.”
These reasons include putting family or their friends at risk of harm and if the individual is a juvenile and reporting restrictions have not been lifted Many forces include in their adoption of the policy that any release of images must be for “contemporaneous” reporting.
Avon and Somerset Police said it wasn’t able to release the image as the sentencing of Davis was carried out in December 2024 and therefore could not be considered “contemporary.”
