The mother of a boy murdered in an unprovoked attack in Bristol has said she loses her son “every single day”.
Max Dixon, 16, was killed alongside his friend 15-year-old Mason Rist after being chased and stabbed by four armed teenagers on January 27 this year.
Ahead of sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on December 16, Max’s mother, Leanne Ekland, has spoken about her loss, saying both families’ worlds have been “destroyed”.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday morning, she said: “I feel every day I lose him all over again.
“I think about him first thing in the morning, I think about him constantly throughout the day, and then when I go to bed.
“The only time I can switch off is when I actually fall asleep, and then I wake up, and reality hits again, and I lose him all over again.
“I didn’t just lose him that night. I lose him every single day.”
That night, only one person attacked my son, but there were five held accountable for his murder. I think that sends out a big message to everybody
She described her son as a “real mummy’s boy” who was never embarrassed to be seen with her and would walk arm-in-arm with her out of school.
Kayleigh Dixon, Max’s sister, said: “He had such a great character, he was really loving.
“I used to pin him down when he was a kid and put make-up on him.
“I miss him – he was a big, big, big character.
“It’s really quiet without him, and the world’s gone silent.”
Max’s mother called for people to “think twice” and not get involved in knife crime, saying their family and Mason’s had been “destroyed” by the attack.
“That night, only one person attacked my son, but there were five held accountable for his murder,” Ms Ekland said.
“I think that sends out a big message to everybody, that just because you didn’t actually do the physical attack, if you’re actually there, or you’re encouraging it, or you’re chasing, you can end up with a murder charge.
“The adult of the group (Antony Snook), he didn’t even get out of his car, and he was still found guilty of both of their murders.”
Snook, 45, drove the four teenagers to and from Knowle West as part of a revenge mission after a house in the rival Hartcliffe area was attacked by masked youths.
Max and Mason died from stab wounds after being chased by the armed group.
The two boys had been wrongly identified as being responsible for bricks being thrown at the house earlier that evening.
Snook was jailed for a minimum of 38 years following a six-week trial at Bristol Crown Court in November.
Riley Tolliver, 18, and three teenage boys aged 15, 16 and 17 – who cannot be named for legal reasons – who carried out the attack are due to be sentenced next Monday.
