A U.K. man accused of mowing down a grandfather in a fatal collision in what's been described as an " act of revenge " uttered five chilling words to 999 dispatchers — the U.K.'s version of 911 — shortly after the heinous murder .
Shaun Breeze, 29, was riding his bike near a café bar in Middlesbrough, a small English city about 40 miles south of Newcastle upon Tyne. As he barreled along the road, a group of five people — the murdered man, 60-year-old Brian Darby; a 17-year-old boy; two men, 25 and 27; and a 50-year-old woman — who were walking home after a night out at a café bar were in his way.
Shaun plowed through them, the Cleveland Police said in a press release . Then, when they called him out on the behavior, he allegedly "gave the impression he was carrying a knife." The three men chased him down, with Shaun still riding his bike, and he collided with another pedestrian and fell off.
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Then, he reportedly ran away on foot as he called his father, 57-year-old Martin Breeze. Martin had been at his home on Owls Grove in Ingleby Barwick and immediately set off in his van to pick up his son. Security camera footage captured him driving at high rates of speed.
Once he had snagged his son, the pair drove along Myton Way and found the group of pedestrians, at which point Martin plowed into them, the police said.
"The impact caused the windscreen [windshield] to shatter and one of the victims to be thrown in the air," the police wrote. "Brian was carried on the front of the bonnet [hood] before falling onto the carriageway [part of the road meant for cars] some distance from the impact. The 60-year-old sadly passed away at the roadside despite the best efforts of passersby, police and paramedics."
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Matt Hollingsworth, a detective with Cleveland's Police Homicide and Major Enquiry Team said in the press release, "Angry with what had taken place, Martin used the van as a weapon to deliberately drive at the group pointed out by Shaun. The consequences of this senseless act has had a devastating impact on so many people."
Hollingsworth continued, "It led to Brian, a well-liked and well-known man in the area he lived, losing his life. He had been enjoying a night out with friends who were all in high spirits as they began walking home. Tragically, that came to end when Shaun — who we believe was out peddling drugs in the area — barged into them. What unfolded next was purely an act of revenge that resulted in murder."
The 50-year-old woman injured in the crash "sustained life-threatening injuries." The teen and another man were listed in serious condition, requiring hospital treatment. The other man escaped unharmed.
The Breezes reportedly returned to the van and fled the scene, then abandoned the damaged vehicle before arriving back at their home. They then reported the vehicle as stolen, the police said.
Both were arrested after an investigation that unraveled the group's version of events. Martin had reportedly been up all night drinking and taking drugs. Shaun told the police he had been doing the same and that he had been attempting to sell his bike to a local cocaine dealer and didn't know the van had been stolen until the morning — Martin had told the police that the van was stolen overnight.
But CCTV footage of the scene and interviews with witnesses helped the police pick apart that story as they gathered "vital evidence, including telecoms and forensic enquiries [inquiries], that led to both Martin and Shaun being charged."
Both pleaded not guilty to the murder and attempted murder charges they were slapped with as well as charges of perverting the court of justice.
Martin was found guilty of murder, attempted murder and perverting the court of justice by a jury on July 25, while Shaun was found guilty of manslaughter and four counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and perverting the course of justice after a trial in Teesside Crown Court.
Both were slated to be sentenced on Aug. 2. How they were sentenced wasn't immediately clear. The trial revealed that both had been taking drugs for around 15 hours before the murder, which took place on Feb. 9.
The chilling 999 call that included Shaun saying he believed someone had been killed was also played in court. "There’s been a crash with a stolen van, and it was my dad’s van that was stolen, and we need to clear his name basically. Someone’s been killed I think."
He admitted to lying to the police about the stolen van. In describing the initial incident for which Shaun and his father sought revenge, Shaun told the court, "I pedaled past a group of people, and one of them tried to kick me off. He missed. I stopped with me hand in the air, like, ‘What you doing?'"
"I don’t know if I spoke, just signaling. Then I pedaled away and they chased me. I was panicking, there was a group of them. As they were pursuing me, I kept checking behind me. I pedaled into a passerby, they kept running after me. I left my bike and I just ran. There was a lot of them.
The other victims in the incident were identified as Kelly Jordan and Will Keates. The teenager wasn't named for legal reasons. Following the verdict, the family of Brian spoke out.
"Today’s verdict brings some satisfaction for our family and will hopefully serve as some justice for Brian. It goes without saying that it will not bring our Brian back nor lessen the pain and anguish we have suffered in losing him, and we will continue to suffer forever," the family said in the press release.
"We would like to thank the members of the public who shared information with the police and those who did everything they could to try and save Brian that night. It gives us comfort to know that there are still kind and caring people in our community, a stark contrast to those who took his life away and, through their denials, put our family through the pain of a trial in order to save themselves. For those individuals, we have no words."
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