Police-chase van driver jailed for killing golfer

A rogue roofer who drove his van into a woman on a golf course after being pursued by police has been jailed for 13 years and six months.

Suzanne Cherry died in hospital in April, four days after she was hit at Aston Wood Golf Club in Staffordshire.

John McDonald, 52, of Booth Street in Bloxwich, West Midlands, admitted causing death by dangerous driving at Worcester Crown Court on Monday.

The 52-year-old, along with two other men, was involved in a roofing fraud at the time, with the trio charging elderly householders “exorbitant amounts” for poor repairs, the court heard.

Their van was spotted by police and pursued on to the course where Cherry was playing with her husband.

Her partner said his wife’s death had left him without a future to look forward to and he only had “an empty present to survive”.

Co-defendants Johnny McDonald, 23, of Molyneux Road, Dudley, and Brett Delaney, 35, of Michael Road, Darlaston, were also jailed – Johnny McDonald for 32 months, Delaney for 28 months.

All three men pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge each of conspiracy to commit fraud between 17 February and 12 April last year, by making false representations that roofing work was needed when it was not, under the guise of a company called Approved Roofs Ltd in the West Midlands.

On 11 April, a police officer in a marked vehicle saw the trio “by chance” and began to follow them after one of them turned their head away after noticing her – leading to the police pursuit.

Prosecutor Michael Burrows KC said the van drove off at high speed, on the wrong side of the road, damaging at least five vehicles as it reached speeds of 70mph in 30mph zones and was even used to repeatedly ram a pursuing police car.

John McDonald then drove the van into the golf club and on to the first fairway with police stopping their pursuit when the van came off the road.

Cherry was playing golf with her husband and was looking for a ball near a stream when she was hit.

The court heard John McDonald braked four-and-a-half seconds before the impact, with Cherry coming into view five seconds before, making a crash inevitable.

“[Her husband] shouted to her but there was no time for her to react,” Burrows added.

John McDonald stepped over Cherry’s body as he made off with the other two, the court heard.

All three men had previously denied manslaughter charges last year.

John McDonald’s sentence was reduced from 18 years for his two offences after his guilty pleas were taken into consideration, the court heard.