A knife-wielding teenager intended to “scare” two children during an alleged fatal attack but did not intend to kill them, his lawyer has told a jury.

Max Dixon, 16, and Mason Rist, 15, suffered fatal stab wounds when they were attacked by four teenagers in a case of confusion in Knowle West, Bristol, in January.

Anthony Snook, 45, Riley Tolliver, 18, and three boys aged 15, 16 and 17 are on trial at Bristol Crown Court on charges of murder.

Max and Mason had been mistakenly identified as responsible for bricks thrown at a house in Hartcliffe earlier that evening.

They were attacked after leaving Mason’s home on Ilminster Avenue.

The attack, which lasted 33 seconds, was captured on the CCTV camera in Mason’s house.

The footage showed Snook’s Audi car stopping and four young men allegedly jumping out of the car, attacking the couple before returning to the car and driving away.

Anna Vigars KC, representing the 16-year-old, told the jury in her closing statement that the teenager did not intend to kill or harm Max or Mason.

He claimed that the reason he carried a gun was to scare those responsible for the attack on the house.

“He may have intended to scare people,” he said.

“You need a really big knife to do this.

“If you want to create deep terror and fear, to make them fear for their lives, that’s what you carry.

“Scare them about ever going to that property in Hartcliffe again.”

The court also heard from Christopher Quinlan KC, representing the 17-year-old, who admitted the manslaughter of Max but denied injuring Mason.

“When you separate Mason’s actions from those of the 17-year-old, we say there is no evidence that he stabbed her or made contact with her,” he said.

“As far as Max is concerned, he admits he did it.

“If he had a serious plan for violence, would he leave his home with security cameras on and get into an identified car?

“He talks about spontaneity, not a planned mission.

“Could this indicate that what happened began and then went far beyond their intentions?” he said.

Ignatius Hughes KC, representing Riley Tolliver, said he “set the tone” for his attack and did not have the ability to assist or encourage the person who fatally stabbed Max and Mason.

“You can see that he attacked Mason with a stick and not a sword or a zombie knife as the prosecution admitted,” he said.

“He carried out a concerted attack by swinging the stick at one or both of the children.

“A baseball bat is a very different weapon choice for going out with a big zombie knife,” he said.

“This may be a more important indicator of his level of intent. You can really do serious damage with a stick. You can headshot.

“Neither Max nor Mason have any head injuries,” he said.

The trial continues.