Judge Simon Medland KC told Neil Jones that but for his driving “there is every reason to suppose that she would be alive today”, as he jailed him for 51 months over a fatal crash and a subsequent hammer attack in a crowded Cheshire Oaks car park.
Hammer attack in busy car park
Jones, 48, of Morningside Road in Norris Green, was behind the wheel on December 23 2025 when retired police officer Martin Alwyn was crossing a road at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet in Ellesmere Port with his two adult sons and two grandchildren, aged five and nine. Prosecutor Zahra Baqri said Jones drove his car towards the family at speed, narrowly missing one of the men by inches.
One of Mr Alwyn's sons, Mark Brough, shouted at Jones to slow down and threw soft toys towards the car. The toys bounced off the back and hit the floor. Jones then slammed on his brakes, stopped in a disabled parking space and got out in “a red mist of rage”, accusing the family of damaging his car before shouting: “What have you done to my f***ing car? Who the f*** are you? I'll f***ing kick your head in. Don't you dare throw anything at my car or I'll smash your face.”
Jones pushed Mr Alwyn in the chest and threw punches at him and Mr Brough, making contact with Mr Brough's cheek. Bystander Mark Kimpton intervened, but Jones went to his boot, pulled out a claw hammer and swung it at Mr Kimpton at least twice. The hammer did not make contact. Jones then got back into his car and reversed, pinning another man, Jonathan Adamson, between his vehicle and another car. He reversed again, trapping Mr Adamson once more before speeding off.
Death of Linda Donnelly
Just over a year earlier, on December 12 2024, Jones had been driving his Ford Focus on Brewster Street in Bootle when he struck Linda Donnelly, 72, as she crossed the road at about 7.45pm. She was taken to Aintree Hospital but died from multiple injuries. A taxi driver travelling behind saw “something fly into the air” after the collision. Jones told witnesses: “I hit her, I hit her. It was an accident.”
Ms Baqri said footage clearly showed Mrs Donnelly did not run into the road. Jones had been travelling at roughly 45mph, or between 39mph and 51mph, on the 30mph road. “It is the crown's case that, if the defendant had been travelling at the legal limit of 30mph, the tragedy could have been avoided,” she said.
Victim impact
In a statement read to the court, Mr Alwyn said: “What should have been a happy and memorable family day was instead ruined by the defendant's behaviour and actions. As both a parent and a grandfather, I felt an immediate and instinctive need to protect my family. It was clear that the incident caused significant distress, particularly to my eldest grandchild. Seeing the fear and upset in my family, especially in my nine-year-old grandson, has been the most difficult aspect for me to come to terms with. No child should have to witness such behaviour, and the impact it had on him continues to anger and upset me.”
Mr Brough added: “The thing that really shocked me the most was that he attacked and had a go at me whilst I was still holding onto my child. The kids were really shaken up by the incident for quite a while. I only hope that they never have to experience something like that again.”
Sentencing and background
Jones admitted causing death by careless driving, dangerous driving, making threats with an offensive weapon and two counts of assault. He has 23 previous convictions for 34 offences, including five speeding offences in the months before the fatal crash and suspended prison sentences for assaults in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
His barrister, Callum Ross, said Jones accepted responsibility for Mrs Donnelly's death, had surrendered his driving licence and had no desire to drive again. He also spoke of Jones's mental health difficulties and his previous caring responsibilities for a disabled cousin. Judge Medland gave him 51 months in prison, banned him from driving for 51 months and ordered him to pass an extended retest. Restraining orders were imposed to protect Mrs Donnelly's family and the victims of the Cheshire Oaks attack for seven years.
During the hearing, Jones appeared to smirk when the judge directed that Mr Adamson, a highways worker and armed forces veteran, be awarded a commendation, saying: “He was instrumental as a bystander in securing the detention of the defendant. He behaved in a selfless, public spirited and courageous way.”
