A company director and beloved mother who "never broke a rule in her life" was killed by a career criminal fleeing police in a van with defective brakes and tyres, a court has heard.
A Life Lived By The Book Cut Short
Suzanne Cherry, 62, was playing golf with her husband Clinton Harrison at Aston Wood Golf Club in Shenstone when she was struck and killed. The "inspirational" mother and stepmother, who was excited to become a grandmother the following month, suffered catastrophic injuries and died in hospital four days later, on April 15—the day before her 63rd birthday.
Her husband told the Daily Mail that his wife, who ran a firm selling electrical spare parts, was an advanced motorcyclist, cyclist, scuba diver and horse rider. "She did everything by the book," he said.
The Chase and a Criminal History Revealed
The man who caused her death, John McDonald, 52, was at the wheel of an unregistered grey Nissan van during a 12-minute police pursuit through Birmingham. The chase reached speeds of 70mph, with McDonald driving through red lights, over pavements, and ramming the pursuing police car at least eight times before fleeing onto the golf course.
Terrifying footage showed him crashing into multiple vehicles, including one carrying an 11-month-old baby. The court heard he stepped over Mrs Cherry's body as he fled on foot.
At Worcester Crown Court, McDonald, of Walsall, was jailed for 13 years and six months after admitting causing death by dangerous driving and conspiracy to commit fraud. It can now be revealed he is a career criminal with a "repugnant" history of targeting the elderly.
A Pattern of Preying on the Vulnerable
The police chase began after officers spotted McDonald's van. He, along with his son Johnny, 23, and Brett Delaney, 35, had been following a 71-year-old woman to a cash machine after tricking her into paying £2,000 for unnecessary roofing work.
This was part of a wider scam through their company, Approved Roofs Ltd, which netted them around £50,000 from elderly victims. One 83-year-old widow from Walsall was conned out of £11,000, while others were charged exorbitant sums for shoddy, unneeded repairs.
McDonald's criminal record includes:
- A six-year sentence in 2019 for stealing thousands from an 85-year-old woman and her terminally ill 62-year-old daughter.
- Tricking an 86-year-old man out of £450 for fake garden work.
- Failing to appear in court in 2015 for conning a 98-year-old woman and assaulting a police officer.
He was on the run and subject to a wanted appeal by West Midlands Police in 2022 for distraction burglaries targeting the elderly when he killed Mrs Cherry.
Justice Served Amidst Grief
Judge Barry Berlin condemned McDonald's offending. In court, Mrs Cherry's loved ones sobbed as her injuries—including multiple rib fractures, torn carotid arteries, and lacerations to her liver and spleen—were detailed.
McDonald's own family, sitting nearby, cried out as he was sentenced. His son Johnny and Delaney also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud.
Clinton Harrison, married to Suzanne for three years after an 18-year relationship, said he has "no thoughts" for the man responsible but wants to remember his inspirational wife. "All the young ladies wanted to be like Suzanne Cherry because of what she achieved in her life," he said.
