DREAM TO NIGHTMARE

Knocking back a few shots with my friends, we giggled in our glittery dresses.

It was New Year’s Day 2019, and I was looking forward to a good night.

Unlike most, I hadn’t been out the night before, so this was my celebration.

As many were nursing a hangover, the club was fairly empty, but we didn’t care.

We just fancied a dance. I’d planned to meet my boyfriend Dan* later in the night, but for now, girls’ night was in full swing.

I was with two of my girlfriends, but with the club virtually empty, they decided to close early.

So, the three of us went to meet Dan and his friend Darren Shaw, then 33.

A bit older than us, I’d never met him before, but he worked with Dan, so I invited him back to mine with the rest of us.

My parents, Belinda, 51, and Tony, 47,