A so-called cowboy roofer who killed a mother of three by ploughing into her on a golf course during a 70mph police chase then stepped over her body as he fled the scene, a court has heard.
A 12-Minute Pursuit of Carnage
Van driver John McDonald, 52, led police on a terrifying 12-minute pursuit through Birmingham on 11 April last year. The court at Worcester Crown Court heard he damaged multiple vehicles, drove on the wrong side of the road, mounted pavements and rammed a pursuing police car at least eight times, reaching speeds of up to 70mph.
The chase culminated when McDonald drove into Aston Wood Golf Club in Shenstone, Staffordshire. Suzanne Cherry, 62, was playing golf with her husband, Clint Harrison, and was searching for her ball near a stream when McDonald's van careered over an embankment and struck her.
Mr Harrison shouted to warn his wife, but the court heard she "could not possibly have got out the way." Ms Cherry sustained catastrophic injuries, including multiple rib fractures, torn carotid arteries and severe lacerations to her liver and spleen. She died in hospital on 15 April, the day before her 63rd birthday.
Fleeing the Scene and a Fraudulent Enterprise
Prosecutor Michael Burrows KC told the court that McDonald, his son Johnny McDonald, 23, and fellow passenger Brett Delaney, 35, all fled immediately after the collision. Mr Harrison was heard shouting "You bastards, you've killed my wife" as they ran.
The court heard the trio had been operating a fraudulent roofing business, Approved Roofs Ltd, and had all admitted conspiracy to commit fraud. On the morning of the fatal crash, they had been following an elderly customer to a cash machine after carrying out unnecessary and shoddy work on her home.
Their fraud, described as "sophisticated," targeted vulnerable elderly women, with four victims aged between 61 and 88 deceived into paying exorbitant sums. One woman paid nearly £10,000, with a further £7,000 needed to rectify their botched work.
A Life Violently Ended
The victim impact statements delivered in court painted a picture of profound loss. Ms Cherry's husband, Clint Harrison, looked directly at John McDonald in the dock and said his wife's life was "violently and senselessly ended."
"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 said. "They valued their temporary freedom more than her right to live. The damage is irreversible. We are condemned to a lifetime of grief."
Ms Cherry's brother, Adrian Cherry, described her as "tough and resilient" with a "zest for life and adventure." He added, "My life will never be the same. I have no answers."
John McDonald, who held a tissue and looked at the floor throughout the hearing, admitted causing death by dangerous driving on the day his trial was due to start. He had previously denied manslaughter. The sentencing hearing continues.
