Shocking footage has revealed the moments leading up to a fatal 70mph police chase that ended with a mother being killed in front of her husband on a Staffordshire golf course.
A Reckless Pursuit Through the Streets
John McDonald, 52, led officers on a terrifying 12-minute pursuit through the streets of Birmingham. The court heard he drove on the wrong side of the road, mounted pavements, and rammed a pursuing police car at least eight times. The chase reached speeds of up to 70mph as McDonald weaved through traffic, ran red lights, and caused damage to multiple vehicles.
The fatal incident occurred on April 11 last year at Aston Wood Golf Club in Shenstone, Staffordshire. Suzanne Cherry, 62, was playing golf with her husband Clint Harrison when the van, driven by McDonald, veered onto the course.
A Life Violently Ended
Prosecutor Michael Burrows KC told Worcester Crown Court that Suzanne had been looking for her golf ball near a stream when McDonald's van struck her, causing catastrophic injuries. Her husband shouted a warning, but she ‘could not possibly have got out of the way’.
Suzanne, a mother-of-three, died in hospital on April 15, the day before her 63rd birthday. The court was told she suffered several strokes and would have been severely disabled had she survived, leading to the decision to withdraw treatment.
Following the collision, McDonald, his 23-year-old son Johnny McDonald, and fellow passenger Brett Delaney, 35, fled the scene. Mr Harrison was heard shouting ‘You bastards, you’ve killed my wife’.
A Pattern of Criminality
The court heard that all three defendants had also admitted conspiracy to commit fraud between February 17 and April 12 last year. Operating under the guise of Approved Roofs Ltd, they conned elderly women by claiming unnecessary roof repairs were needed and charging exorbitant amounts for shoddy work.
Four victims, aged 61, 79, 83, and 88, were deceived. One paid nearly £10,000, with a further £7,000 required to fix the damage they caused.
On the morning of the fatal crash, the group had been following an elderly customer to a cash machine for payment when police spotted them, triggering the chase.
John McDonald admitted causing death by dangerous driving on the day his trial was due to start, having previously denied manslaughter. When arrested, he responded to news of the death by saying, ‘Someone died?’
Irreversible Damage and a Family's Grief
In a powerful victim impact statement, Clint Harrison told the court his wife's life was ‘violently and senselessly ended’. Addressing McDonald directly, he said, ‘I stand before you today not as a man seeking vengeance, but as a man who had the very foundation of his life destroyed.’
He added, ‘They valued their temporary freedom more than her right to live. The damage is irreversible. We are condemned to a lifetime of grief.’
Suzanne's brother, Adrian Cherry, described her as ‘tough and resilient’ with a ‘zest for life and adventure’. He said, ‘One minute enjoying a game of golf, the next ploughed down by a reckless act. My life will never be the same.’
The three defendants are due to be sentenced later today.
