But what started as a fun Friday evening quickly descended into a living nightmare for the friends after a chance encounter while heading home spiralled into a revengeful hit-and-run.
As they walked home from the 3 Rivers bar, Shaun Breeze, 30, had barged through the group while riding a bike.
After being chased by three men and then crashing into another pedestrian, Breeze fled on foot and called his dad, Martin.
The 57-year-old set off in his van from his Owls Grove home and drove to the scene, where he spotted the group, mounted a grass verge, and deliberately mowed them down on the footpath.
One victim was thrown into the air, another two suffered significant injuries, and the van narrowly missed another in the “senseless and callous” attack.
Much-loved grandad Brian Darby was carried away on the front of the car, being pushed a “considerable way”, before tragically dying on the roadside.
Brian Darby (Image: Family handout)
Today, as the pair are jailed for a combined total of 48 years, we look back on how the revengeful incident unfolded, shaking the Ingleby Barwick community to its core.
It was the second weekend of February when residents woke on a Saturday morning to find the centre of their housing estate had been thrust into the centre of 999 drama.
The Sandgate Junction and The Rings, a major artery through Ingleby Barwick, had been taken over by blue and white police tape, white-suited investigators, and evidence cones scattered across the usually busy road.
Police at the scene (Image: NORTH NEWS)
A dense fog hung over the entire estate throughout the morning while crime scene investigators were pictured probing the road, a bike, and other items.
In the distance, the shattered van, which the public would later discover had been driven by Breeze Sr, was parked at the side of the road, where it had been dumped.
By the time residents had woken up, Cleveland Police had already launched a murder investigation, confirming the death of a 60-year-old man, later confirmed to be Mr Darby.
CSI teams at the scene (Image: NORTH NEWS)
Police had been at the scene since 9.35pm on Friday evening, where the force described how two other people had been seriously injured after a hit and run.
Those living nearby described hearing a “loud bang” at the time, reporting how they have heard there had been “an argument near the Co-op”
One woman even described how she heard bangs followed by “screaming”, before looking out the window to see people “running around the road”.
The van involved in the crash (Image: TERRY BLACKBURN)
Residents of the usually quiet estate were both confused and in shock at the ordeal, which took place just days after an unrelated probe streets away involving Dr Thomas Kwan, which has been heavily reported in The Northern Echo here.
It was a week where the world’s eyes were fixed firmly on the estate, with the two separate incidents drawing major attention from both local news media and online.
Widespread tributes also quickly flooded in for Mr Darby, while many others voiced their horror at the crash unfolding on their doorsteps.
Flowers left at the scene for Brian (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
The road was closed from the entrance into Ingleby Barwick to the roundabout linking it with the Tesco supermarket, and remained closed by police until midday, forcing drivers to divert.
It was February 10 that police confirmed two men had been arrested – and two days later, the Breezes were charged.
The pair went on trial last summer, where the full details of the horrific incident emerged at Teesside Crown Court.
On the evening of February 9, the group were walking home after enjoying a night out at the 3 Rivers when Breeze Jr barged through them while riding a bike.
Martin and Shaun Breeze (Image: Cleveland Police)
The court heard how he was on his bike looking for drugs for him and his father to use and was confronted after almost hitting Kelly Jordan.
There was an altercation where Breeze Jr gave the impression that he was carrying a knife, before he was chased away by three of the men.
He then collided with another pedestrian, before fleeing on foot and calling his father.
The court heard how he encouraged his dad to target the group of friends as they walked home, with CCTV showing Breeze Sr driving the white van to the scene.
CCTV footage of the van (Image: Cleveland Police)
Breeze Sr then arrived at the Sandgate Junction, mounted a kerb, and ploughed through the group of friends while they were on the footpath.
One victim was thrown into the air, another two suffered significant injuries, and the van narrowly missed another.
Mr Darby was carried on the front of the bonnet before falling onto the carriageway some distance from the impact, and tragically died at the roadside.
And while the Ingleby Barwick junction was cleared just hours after the chaos of February 9, the incident continues to devastate the victims to this day.
Brian’s daughter Kayleigh Chapman said the family had been left with a “deep, profound sadness” following his death, describing attending court as “agonising”.
Brian Darby (Image: Cleveland Police)
Kelly Jordan – who suffered more than 20 fractures and spent six weeks in hospital – says she remembers February 9 as “a day of trauma and loss”.
“I am constantly looking over my shoulder,” she said. “I have lost parts of me that I enjoyed the most. My 50th birthday plans were cancelled as I was too ill.”
Kelly added that her son Brandon Jordan, who escaped uninjured after being “narrowly missed”, has flashbacks and struggles to sleep.
Meanwhile, another victim, William Keats, was also left with significant injuries to his leg and has caused other impacts on his mental health.
A teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also left suicidal, with an impact statement describing how he felt like he “couldn’t cope”.
Breeze Sr, of Irthing Close, was jailed for 32 years for the murder of Mr Darby, the attempted murder of four others, and perverting the course of justice.
Meanwhile, Breeze Jr, of Owls Grove, was jailed for 16 years for manslaughter, three charges of causing grievous bodily harm without intent, and perverting the course of justice.
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Today will hopefully bring some closure to what has been a traumatic year for both the victims and their families connected to this incident.
It should also provide closure for Ingleby Barwick as a whole, whose residents were left upset, shocked, and confused last February after two serious incidents in the same week.
As police said, it is “beyond comprehension” that a chance encounter like this could have devastated so many families – but the long prison sentences issued to the Breezes on Monday will hopefully mark the end of a devastating chapter of their lives.