A cowboy roofer has been jailed for 13-and-a-half years for causing the death of a mother-of-three who he ran over on a golf course.
John McDonald, 52, admitted to causing the death by dangerous driving after hitting 62-year-old Suzanne Cherry while driving a van that was being followed by police.
Ms Cherry had been playing golf with her husband, Clint Harrison, at Aston Wood Golf Club in Shenstone, Staffordshire, when the incident happened on 11 April last year.
Handing sentence, judge James Burbridge said McDonald’s actions were “wicked in the extreme” and “it is clear that you did attempt to brake, but you had insufficient time to avoid her”.
He added: “Clint Harrison saw you [and co-defendants Johnny McDonald, 23, and Brett Delaney, 35] run away from the vehicle.
“He says the person who stepped out of the driving seat actually stepped over Sue.
“He says he saw, in a split second, the driver stutter and look back, but you didn’t stop, John, you sought to save your own skin.
“Even if you did something to avoid the collision, it was too little, too late.”
McDonald admitted to causing the death by dangerous driving
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STAFFORDSHIRE POLICE
Speaking after the sentence was handed down, Mr Harrison paid tribute to his late wife.
He said: “You really don’t want to know what I think about the sentence. I have got no thoughts about them at all. I won’t give them any head space.”
He continued: “Everybody loved her. She was an inspiration. All the young ladies wanted to be like Suzanne Cherry because of what she achieved in her life.
“A company owner, advanced motorcyclist, cyclist, scuba diver, and anything else she could jump off or dive off.”
Jonny McDonald, McDonald’s son, was jailed for conspiracy to commit fraud
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STAFFORDSHIRE POLICE
Shortly after her death, Mr Harrison said that Ms Cherry would be “painfully missed” by her family and friends.
“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,” he said.
Brett Delaney, 35, and Johnny McDonald, John McDonald’s son, 23, were not held responsible for the collision, but the pair admitted to conspiracy to commit fraud on Monday, along with the senior McDonald.
The court heard that the trio made false representations that roofing work was needed when it was not, between 17 February and 12 April last year.
Brett Delaney was also jailed for conspiracy to commit fraud
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STAFFORDHIRE POLICE
All three admitted to the charge in relation to poor roofing work carried out under the guise of a company called Approved Roofs Ltd in the West Midlands.
Judge Burbidge said on Tuesday that all three defendants had agreed to dishonestly take money from elderly victims by deliberately targeting them for roof repair work.A
Addressing the court, he said: “You deliberately sought out easy targets — vulnerable, trusting people, as the elderly so often are, who tend to see the good in others, unlike you.”
Turning to John and Johnny, the judge added: “You worked together under the name Approved Roofs, yet it is unclear what, if any, genuine roofing skills you possessed. The evidence suggests there were none.”
For conspiracy to commit fraud, the younger McDonald was sentenced to 32 months’ imprisonment and Delaney to 28 months, with time already served deducted from their sentences.