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The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
My shy boy, 15, popped out for pizza & was stabbed by thugs who thought he was someone else – my life was destroyed
NIKKI Knight never left her son Mason Rist home alone. But when the opportunity for a rare night out with friends came along in January 2024 she thought there would be no harm in leaving her 15-year-old for one evening. 8 8 8 She could never have imagined the horror that would meet her boy that night. Mason and his friend, Max Dixon, 16, were 'hunted down' and stabbed in a 'revenge attack' after being wrongly identified as culprits of an earlier incident. The two pals were on their way to get a pizza when Anthony Snook, 45, arrived in his Audi with Riley Tolliver, 18, Kodi Wescott, 17, and two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, who cannot be named for legal reasons. CCTV footage - from Nikki's house - captured the horrific 33 second attack which began when four youth jumped the pair on Mason's doorstep, just metres from his home in Knowle, Bristol. Nikki never left Mason on his own but went on a rare night out with friends on January 27, 2024 - leaving her son home alone at their house in Knowle, Bristol, with £20 for a takeaway. Shortly before midnight, she received a call from Avon and Somerset Police with news that 'changed her life forever'. At first she thought Mason was doing 'silly voices' down the phone, until an officer confirmed the boys had been involved in a fatal attack. The heartbroken mum raced home but was unable to see Mason as police had blocked off the street and he was tended to by paramedics. The boys were rushed to different hospitals - with Mason taken to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and Max Southmead Hospital, Bristol. Despite her heartache, Nikki refused to see Mason in hospital - fearing she wouldn't cope with seeing him in that state. Evil Adolescence teens butchered our kids after knife taunts & love feuds online…it's an arms war & no one feels safe Mason died shortly after arriving at hospital from his injuries at 12.49am on January 28, 2024, and Max passed away at 1.02am the next day. The five people involved were all found guilty of double murder during a trial at Bristol Crown Court in November 2024 and sentenced to 117 years between them. To add to Nikki's distress, one of the killers - Kodishai Wescott - was found to be 'bragging' about the murders after posting a rap song on social media from prison about the attack. The mum - who is in the process of moving to Wales - is still unable to enter Mason's room but is setting up a charity called The Mason Rist Memorial Trust in his memory. Nikki, a health care practitioner, says: 'I've not been the same since. 'I've not been able to go into his room. "Even though I've moved house, and I have lodgers staying there, I can't go in his room. "It's all locked up - I just can't face it. 8 8 8 8 'If I sit and think about Mason, I'll start crying, so I have to stay strong. 'I don't sleep well anymore – maybe a couple of hours a night. 'I'm a 51-year-old woman who sleeps with the light on.' Nikki says that there are reminders of her son everywhere in her home. "It happened in front of my house - I can't escape it,' she says. "I was weeding the front garden and I found a white ECG pad embedded in the flowers. 'That was from my son's chest, I just had to throw it away. 'How do you cope with that? 'What happened is always on my mind, so I have to put a block on it. 'It's the only way to keep going.' Nikki said Mason was a shy boy who only had a couple of friends at school and loved spending time playing PlayStation. He lost his dad, Shayne, 50, as a result of covid during the pandemic in 2021 when he was aged 13. On the night of January 27, 2024, Nikki left Mason home alone with £20 for a takeaway while she went out for the evening with friends. She said: "He wasn't mixed up in any gangs. "He was a kind boy who couldn't even hurt a fly. "Usually his nan or sister would come over, but I left him this one night. "I thought he'd be safe. There wasn't a bad bone in his body, he was just a quiet boy and thoughtful Nikki Knight "I always worried about Mas. "I used to cut up his food - I was scared he'd choke. "That night, I told him to order his McDonalds before I left and to lock all the doors. "He said 'don't worry, I'm not going to choke if you go out.'" At around 11.55pm, Nikki was having a drink in the pub when she received a life-changing call from Avon and Somerset Police. "I said, 'Mas, stop messing around'," she says. "I thought he was at home, maybe invited a mate over and was doing silly voices. "I hung up the phone - I still didn't believe it was real. "But I raced home, and police had blocked off the whole street. "I was screaming 'where is my son?'. "I heard the word 'stabbed' but no one was telling me anything." Mason was rushed to Bristol Children's Hospital and Nikki was met with doctors at 12.49am, who broke the news that Mason had passed away from his injuries. She recalls: 'I don't remember much or if I cried, I was just numb." Five people were arrested, all defendants denied the charge of double murder, and a case went to Bristol Crown Court in October 2024. During the trial, the jury heard about an earlier attack in the Hartcliffe area, Bristol, in which thugs threw bricks at a house and injured a female occupant - which Max and Mason were not involved in. The five defendants 'tooled up' while motivated by revenge and drove to the neighbouring suburb of Knowle looking for those responsible. At around 11.13pm, Max arrived at Mason's house to go and get a pizza, and the pair were spotted leaving as the defendants pulled up in an Audi. The jury heard that both boys were victims of mistaken identity– with the prosecution saying that they were completely innocent and had nothing to do with the attack at the property. Nikki says: 'I don't know the people - Mason didn't know them. 'I went to court, but I couldn't listen to all of it. 'I don't know how anyone can watch the CCTV. 'It makes me sick to think about it.' On October 15, 2024, all five defendants were found guilty of two counts of murder. Anthony Snook, 45, was sentenced to 38 years in prison. Riley Tolliver, 18, was jailed for a minimum of 23 years and 47 days. Kodi Wescott, 17, who can be named for the first time after a judge lifted a Section 45 order, was told he would serve a minimum of 23 years and 44 days. The 15-year-old boy was told he would serve at least 15 years and 229 days, while the 16-year-old was given a minimum term of 18 years and 44 days. Nikki adds: "I didn't feel anything at the verdict. "It doesn't matter what they said, it's not going to change anything or bring him back." Nikki - who is still struggling to come to terms with losing her son - said she tries to remain 'strong' and keep going. In January 2025, it emerged that Kodi Wescott had posted "offensive" rap tracks about the murders on Snapchat while in jail. Westcott's offensive video included rap lyrics which referenced "33 seconds" - the time it took for him and three others to ambush and kill Max and Mason. Nikki says: "I'm disgusted about it - it makes me sick. "How does he have access to a phone? "I've met an MP in London about it, there need to be tighter regulations. "Something has to be done about knife crime, too. "How has it got this bad in this country? "We've got kids killing kids. "In America, you get 50 or 60 years for killing. "Here it's like 15 years - it's not tough enough. "Something needs to improve." Nikki hopes people remember Mason for being a thoughtful boy, and has set up The Mason Rist Memorial Trust in his memory - helping underprivileged children get basic school supplies. She adds: 'There wasn't a bad bone in his body, he was just a quiet boy and thoughtful. 'I never let him out and I feel bad about that. 'Maybe if he had more, this wouldn't have happened. 'But I thought I knew he was safe at home. 'You don't think the first time he goes out on his own, anything will happen - that this would happen. "I'm a shadow of my former self but I have to keep going." 8
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘I forgive my son's killer', says father of man stabbed to death in front of horrified Brixton shoppers
The father of a young man murdered in broad daylight on a busy south London road says he has forgiven his son's killer as he directs a new stage play. Keelen Wong, 22, was stabbed by masked Kyiza Sandiford who wielded an 'appalling' foot-long blade in front of horrified motorists and shoppers on Coldharbour Lane, Brixton. Sandiford, 24, from Merton, is serving life with a minimum of 23 years of the revenge attack on the afternoon of October 3, 2023. Jemaine Wong has written and directed a theatre production called Our Son: The Battle of Forgiveness which opens on Friday. Mr Wong, 45, told the Standard he got inspiration while look at old photos and videos of Keelan as a six-year-old. 'I had to make a choice with my emotions towards Sandiford,' he said. 'I choose every 60 seconds to embrace the desire to forgive. A miracle is taking place. 'I still feel angry but now at the culture that perpetuates and makes money off young people dying. 'Not just music, videos and movies, but the myth of retaliation – someone does something and you have to 'get them back'. 'I strongly believe the root of all murders is unforgiveness and bitterness, then anger. 'I hope the play will be a powerful tool highlighting forgiveness as a human essential. It's the only way to transform hearts from serious youth violence to serious youth passion.' Keelan was 'loved' in the community and 'took his last breath five minutes away from the first', Mr Wong adds referring to nearby King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill. He planned to start a business with his fiancée. 'He had a bright future ahead of him,' Mr Wong added. 'Keelan left behind a fiancée and siblings who love him dearly. His youngster sister wasn't even one-year-old and she'll only remember him now by photos and a legacy.' Our Son, which uses theatre and poetry to get its message across, is presented by Learn 2 Live Legacy in partnership with the Kiyan Prince Foundation to tackle the capital's knife crime epidemic. Promoting 'compassionate masculinity and healthy fatherhood', it suggests forgiveness is not a weak but the bedrock for healing after tragedy. Kiyan, 15 - who played for Queens Park Rangers' youth team - was fatally stabbed trying to break up a fight outside his north London school on May 18, 2006. His father Dr Mark Prince OBE said: 'How many dads do you see collaborating on something so important? 'There are so many negative connotations when it comes to black fathers and here are two doing positive things like so many others. Forgiveness is powerful. It's the message we want for our males who are struggling in society. A lot of young people feel conflict is a way of communicating but the act of forgiving a person is greater than that.' :: To see Our Son at Saint Gabriel's College in Langton Road, Camberwell, on August 1 and 2 visit the website.
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Innocent father-of-one, 27, had leg torn off when father and son crushed him with Range Rover over mistaken identity
An innocent father-of-one had his leg torn off when he was mown down by a Range Rover in a revenge attack by a father and son in a case of mistaken identity. Sean Wootten, 27, came out of his house in Etches Close in Bournemouth, Dorset, on October 7 last year, when he heard a commotion caused by Vinny Morgan, 21, and his father Conrad, 55. The violent pair were after his neighbour who they claimed had damaged their property. Mr Wootten stepped into the darkened street wearing a hoodie, and the pair misidentified him as his neighbour, a court heard. Vinny Morgan then drove towards him in the 4x4 with his father in the passenger seat. Mr Wootten jumped out of the way of the oncoming vehicle, but Vinny Morgan simply reversed the Range Rover and drove at him a second time. After hitting him, Mr Wootten was pinnned up against a garden wall by the vehicle and left screaming in agony. Witnesses and medics found him with his left leg 'more or less' amputated above the knee, and with a piece of the Range Rover's wheel trim embedded in his leg. A critical care doctor had to remove the limb at the scene before the 27-year-old was flown to hospital and kept in a coma in intensive care. He is now in a wheelchair and has had to give up his job as a mechanic. Hours later the Morgans' home was targeted in a revenge 'fire bomb' attack. They called the police but were instead arrested for the hit-and-run on Mr Wootten. Vinny Morgan has now been jailed for 13 years and six months for grievous bodily harm, having been previously cleared of attempted murder. His 55-year-old father was found guilty of conspiracy to commit affray and sentenced to nine months in prison, which he has already served while on remand awaiting trial. Bournemouth Crown Court heard the Morgans had been looking for neighbour Joshua Lovell after blaming him for damaging Vinny Morgan's Suzuki Vitara car. Just before they turnd up Mr Lovell had parked a Range Rover with the engine running in Etches Close. The Morgans attacked him with metal bats, prompting Mr Lovell to run off and Vinny Morgan to drive after him in the Range Rover. Sean Wilken KC, prosecuting, told a previous hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court: 'Sean Wootten had heard the noises of the fracas going on. He had been in a flat with his girlfriend Tara Redpath. 'He went to see what was happening. His timing was terrible because he was about to cross the road just as Vinny Morgan drove back into Etches Close in the Range Rover. 'He came flying around the corner driving straight for Sean Wootten. He made no effort to slow down or avoid him. Mr Wootten had to jump out of the way and he managed to avoid being hit. 'However, his luck was to run out. Mr Wootten knew Joshua Lovell and thinking it was him driving the Range Rover he shouted out, "Josh it's me" to try and get the Range Rover to stop. 'He couldn't see who was driving because of the headlights. 'Mr Wootten managed to make it to the pavement and thought he was safe. But Vinny Morgan had other plans. 'Having just missed him he reversed the Range Rover back and accelerated the short distance to where Mr Wootten was now standing. He made a deliberate decision to drive straight at him. 'CCTV captured the screams of cries as it happened. One of his legs was more or less amputated by the impact of the Range Rover.' Mr Wilken said a police officer described that he saw the left leg torn above the knee, bones could be seen and his leg had been all but amputated. He added: 'Medical treatment [was given] at the scene and [the] doctor decided to amputate. Part of the wheel trim was embedded in what remains of Mr Wootten's leg.' In his victim impact statement Mr Wootten said his life had been ruined. He said: 'I can no longer do simple things with my family that I took for granted. 'I don't like going out in public because people stare at me and you never know what is going to happen. I break down in tears most days. 'I get flashbacks all the time, I see the car coming at me and relive the moment. I lost control of my life, I lost everything that day.' The court also heard a statement from his partner Tara Redpath, who described running down the stairs holding her daughter, to find him sat 'in a pool of his own blood'. She said: 'Every time I close my eyes, or see a Range Rover, I relive it over and over again. I see Sean sat there looking at his leg. I can constantly hear his scream, a scream I had never heard before that night.' Paul Walker, representing Vinny Morgan, said his client had made good use of his time in prison with real prospects for employment when released. He added: 'I urge your honour to give this man some light at the end of what will be a lengthy custodial tunnel.' But Judge William Mousley KC did not accept Morgan had shown remorse. He said Morgan had tried to claim Mr Wootten was armed and threatened him with a dangerous weapon with 'not a hint of any kind of regret if this was a case of mistaken identity'. Judge Mousley said: 'You decided to go looking for a man called Joshua Lovell, and any associates he may have with him, to attack and injure him. 'There was bad feeling between you. You had unwanted visitors at your address previously and damage had been caused. 'Sean Wootten heard a noise from the street and it concerned him sufficiently he thought he ought to investigate. 'He was unarmed but had his hood up, which meant he was not immediately recognisable. 'I am sure that you intended at least to scare him and possibly hit him at that point. Whether that was because you thought he had something to do with Joshua Lovell's behaviour, it is not entirely clear whether you knew who your target was.' He said Mr Wootten was 'entirely innocent'. Vinny Morgan was found guilty of GBH, conspiracy to commit affray and possession of an offensive weapon in public. Conrad Morgan, a builder, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit affray and possession of an offensive weapon in public and sentenced to nine months in prison.
