Man admits causing golf course crash death

A man has admitted killing a woman who was hit by a van on a golf course.

Suzanne Cherry, 62, died in hospital in April, four days after she was hit at Aston Wood Golf Club in Staffordshire by a grey Nissan, which had been involved in a police pursuit.

John McDonald, 52, of Booth Street in Bloxwich, West Midlands, admitted causing death by dangerous driving.

Cherry's husband Clint Harrison told Worcester Crown Court he no longer had a future to look forward to after his wife's death, adding that he only had "an empty present to survive".

John McDonald, along with co-defendants Johnny McDonald, 23, of Molyneux Road in Dudley and Brett Delaney, 35, of Michael Road in Darlaston, all pleaded guilty on Monday to 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.

All three men had previously denied manslaughter charges last year.

They will all be sentenced at the court on Tuesday.

Cherry, from Aldridge, was killed "while enjoying what should have been the safest" of her many hobbies, Harrison told the court on Monday.

He said his "beautiful wife" had an "amazing and infectious zest for life" before their "future together was snatched away in an instant".

The Independent Office for Police Conduct launched an investigation into the circumstances leading up to the fatal crash and the involvement of West Midlands Police officers.

The watchdog said two patrol cars had started following a van in Kingstanding, Birmingham, after receiving reports of suspicious activity.

They stopped following the van when it came off the road and went up an embankment at Aston Wood Golf Club, where it hit Cherry.

Prosecution barrister Michael Burrows KC told the court that in spring last year, the three men "were involved in a fraud on elderly householders", charging "exorbitant amounts" for carrying out bad roof repairs.

On 11 April, a police officer in a marked vehicle saw them "by chance" and decided to follow them, after one of them turned their head away after noticing her, the court heard.

The van was driven off at high speed, sometimes on the wrong side of the road and on the pavement, with John McDonald even using it to ram the police car by reversing into it, Burrows said.

John McDonald then drove the van into the golf club and on to the first fairway.

"Suzanne Cherry was playing golf with her husband. She had just played her second shot and was looking for her ball near a stream," Burrows said.

"Her husband heard the sound of the van and saw it heading at high speed straight towards his wife.

"He shouted to her but there was no time for her to react. The van crashed into her, causing her fatal injuries.

"The van came to a halt and the three defendants quickly got out and ran off together. Clint Harrison shouted after them: 'You've killed my wife!'.

In a statement read out by Burrows, Harrison said the opportunity for the driver to avoid his wife "was there" as they were "both clearly visible".

"That fairway was wide open, there was plenty of room…I can say with 100% certainty there were no brake lights illuminated on the van at any point while I was looking at it," he added.

Harrison said he saw the trio run away together after getting out the vehicle before heading up a grass bank.

"The person who stepped out of the driver's seat actually stepped over Sue as he ran from the van," his statement continued.

"I was just screaming at them so I knew they would have my screams ringing in their ears for the rest of their lives."

Harrison said he had lost the only person who truly understood the language of their shared history.

"I no longer have a future to look forward to. I only have an empty present to survive," he added in his victim impact statement.

"Susan was killed on a peaceful golf course - an innocent bystander in the wake of these criminals attempting to escape their own poor choices."

Harrison said their "desperate reckless actions" led to "monumental" damage to Cherry's family.

Her brother, Adrian Cherry, said she was a victim of "cruel events" and that his life would never be the same.

"I think of my sister daily and cannot get the image of what happened to her out of my head," he continued.

"I remember her zest for life and adventure. She lost her life in what should've been a safe place.

"To this day, I have no answers. Why did this happen?"

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