A roofer has admitted killing a woman who died after being hit by a van while playing golf with her husband.
John McDonald, 51, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Worcester Crown Court on Monday in relation to the death of Suzanne Cherry, 62, who was struck by a grey Nissan van at Aston Wood Golf Club in Shenstone, near Sutton Coldfield, on April 11 last year.
The van was being pursued by police when it left the road and careered up an embankment and onto the green. Mrs Cherry, a mother of three, died in hospital four days later.
McDonald of Bloxwich also pleaded guilty to conspiracy commit fraud in relation to roofing work between February and April last year along with his son Johnny McDonald, 22, of Dudley and Brett Delany, 35, of Darlaston, Walsall.
They are due to be sentenced at the same court this afternoon. All three had previously denied manslaughter.
Dozens of members of Mrs Cherry’s friends and family attended court and were seated in the public gallery when the guilty pleas were entered.
John McDonald, 51, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Worcester Crown Court on Monday in relation to the death of Suzanne Cherry, 62.
His son Johnny 22 admitted conspiracy commit fraud in relation to roofing work between February and April last year
Brett Delany, 35, of Darlaston, Walsall also admitted conspiracy to commit fraud over roofing work
Mrs Cherry’s husband Clinton Harrison was with her when she was hit by the van. He told how he watched in ‘helpless horror’ as her life was ‘snatched away in an instant’.
Paying tribute to his wife in a statement released by police after her death, Mr Harrison said: ‘On Friday 11 April, while enjoying what should have been the safest of one of Suzanne’s many activities, I watched in helpless horror as the life of my beautiful wife and our future together was snatched away in an instant.
‘Suzanne had an amazing and infectious zest for life which touched everyone who was fortunate enough to know her.
‘She was unselfish, always ready to encourage with love and support those around her to achieve more than they themselves thought possible.’
He said his wife left a ‘legacy and an unfillable void’ in the lives of her mother Maureen, her three adult children, two step-children and ‘countless others from her work, her sporting activities and social circle’.
He said: ‘Sue was loved, and will be painfully missed by her entire family and friends, we ask that our privacy at this difficult time be respected.’
Suzanne Cherry, a mother of three, died in hospital four days after the crash
Mrs Cherry was playing golf with her husband when she was hit by the van
Officers in two patrol cars had first started following a grey Nissan 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 Ms Cherry.
The driver and two passengers ran from the scene.
In dashcam footage obtained by MailOnline, a van is seen speeding past a car on a roundabout while being chased by a police car.
Then, separate CCTV footage shows the moment the van left the A4026 between Sutton Coldfield and Shenstone, before careering up a bank to the side of the entrance road.
Two police cars appeared to be in pursuit, with an officer seen jumping out of their vehicle and giving chase on foot over a grassy bank.
Neighbours also paid tribute to Ms Cherry, a company director.
A neighbour said: ‘She was a much-loved friend and neighbour. What happened was just appalling.
‘She was playing golf with her husband. He saw it all happen and is a broken man.’
Another neighbour from the quiet cul-de-sac where the Cherry family lived said: ‘Going to play the game you love on a beautiful day and then that happens. It is beyond comprehension.
‘Why would anyone be driving a van up that bank and onto a golf course. It’s insanity.’
In a tribute online, directors, members of staff and our members of nearby Calderfields Golf and Country Club offered their condolences to her family and friends.
They said: ‘Our thoughts also go out to our neighbours, their staff and friends at Aston Wood, this was a tragic and very sad occurrence which should not happen anywhere, let alone on the tranquil environment of a golf course.’
