Three men appear in court over death of mother, 62, killed in golf course 'hit and run' in front of her helpless husband
Three men charged with the manslaughter of a woman who was killed at a golf course by a van that was being followed by police have appeared in court.
Suzanne Cherry, 62, died in hospital four days after she was hit by the grey Nissan, which had been involved in a police pursuit, at Aston Wood Golf Club on the edge of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.
John McDonald, 51, Johnny McDonald, 22, and Brett Delaney, 34, appeared via videolink from HMP Dovegate during a preliminary hearing at Wolverhamton Crown Court.
Ms Cherry, a company director and mother-of-three from Aldridge, West Midlands, was airlifted to hospital after being hit by the van on April 11.
Two police cars had been following the van after receiving reports of suspicious activity, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.
However, they stopped chasing the vehicle when it went off-road and up an embankment at the golf club, where it hit Ms Cherry.
John McDonald, from Bloxwich, Walsall, who has also been charged with assault by beating, Johnny McDonald, of Dudley, and Delaney, from Darlaston, Walsall, sat together in a prison conference room during the brief hearing this lunchtime.
The defendants spoke only to confirm their names and were told by Judge Chambers that the next hearing they face will be at Stafford Crown Court where they can enter their pleas to the charges they face.
Adjourning the case until a plea and directions hearing on May 23, Judge Chambers told the defendants they would at that point 'be asked if you plead guilty or not guilty to these charges.'
The judge added: 'You have an absolute right to trial.
'In the meantime, you must remain in custody.'
On Sunday, Ms Cherry's husband Clinton Harrison described how he watched in 'helpless horror' as her life was 'snatched away in an instant'.
He had been on the first tee with his wife when she was hit.
Paying tribute to his wife in a statement released by police, 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'.
Mr Harrison 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.'
The incident happened at around 10.25am on Friday, April 11.
Officers had first started following the van in Kingstanding, Birmingham, the IOPC said.
The police watchdog is continuing to investigate the circumstances prior to the collision when West Midlands Police officers were responding to the vehicle being involved in reports of suspicious activity.
The defendants were charged on Monday, and made their first court appearance at North Staffordshire Justice Centre.
A charge of failing to stop a vehicle when directed by a constable against John McDonald has been withdrawn.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Nottingham victim's parent complain about ‘offensive' IOPC meeting
The family of a student killed in the Nottingham attacks have formally complained to the police watchdog over an 'offensive' meeting with one of its directors. Valdo Calocane killed Grace O'Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates in a spate of attacks in the city in June 2023. He was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after pleading guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility as a result of paranoid schizophrenia and three counts of attempted murder. It was announced in February that prosecutors, police and medical professionals would be scrutinised in the two-year inquiry, including the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Grace's father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, said that an IOPC regional director had behaved inappropriately when the bereaved families met the watchdog in March 2024, including by starting the meeting with a prayer. 'I found it patronising and offensive,' Kumar told the Sunday Times. 'I didn't want a prayer, I wanted answers. I've lost my daughter and it was his job to give me the truth, not a prayer. 'There are plenty of places to pray and the IOPC isn't one of them.' The regional director at the meeting, Derrick Campbell, is now the watchdog's director of engagement, the newspaper reported. An IOPC spokesperson said: 'We can confirm we've received a complaint about one of our directors and we are dealing with it in line with our complaints and feedback procedure.' The watchdog previously prepared a report that concluded Leicestershire police officers had failed to properly investigate an assault on warehouse workers by Calocane which could have stopped his killing spree a month later. Three officers were due to face a misconduct meeting but the force postponed this. In March, the IOPC said it would reinvestigate whether Calocane's previous history and an outstanding arrest warrant were seen by officers before the investigation was closed down. The watchdog said it had made its decision 'after the force provided new evidence, which had not previously been available to the IOPC' and 'representations by the bereaved families which led to further inquiries with Leicestershire police'.
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Family of Nottingham attack victims complain about ‘offensive' watchdog meeting
The family of a student killed in the Nottingham attacks has described their meeting with the police watchdog leading the public inquiry into her death as 'offensive'. Valdo Calocane killed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, before attempting to kill three other people in the city in June 2023. It was announced in February that prosecutors, police and medical professionals would be scrutinised in the two-year inquiry, including the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Grace's father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, said that an IOPC regional director had behaved inappropriately when the bereaved families met the watchdog nine months after the attacks in March 2024, including by starting the meeting with a prayer. Dr Kumar told The Sunday Times: 'I found it patronising and offensive. 'I didn't want a prayer, I wanted answers. I've lost my daughter and it was his job to give me the truth, not a prayer. 'There are plenty of places to pray and the IOPC isn't one of them.' The regional director at the meeting, Derrick Campbell, is now the watchdog's director of engagement, the newspaper reported. An IOPC spokesperson said: 'We can confirm we've received a complaint about one of our directors and we are dealing with it in line with our complaints and feedback procedure.' The IOPC previously prepared a report which concluded that police failed to properly investigate an assault on warehouse workers by Calocane, which could have stopped his murder spree a month later, leading to the watchdog reopening its investigation into the incidents in March. In a statement at that time, Mr Campbell said: 'Those who are closely impacted by our decision, including the bereaved families and the officers involved, have been notified and we will complete this work as quickly as possible.' Calocane was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility and attempted murder, something which has been widely criticised by the victims' families. Barnaby's mother Emma Webber said in February last year that the families had a lot of concerns 'that were in the most part wholly ignored' by the Crown Prosecution Service. Senior retired judge Deborah Taylor will chair the inquiry, which aims to report back within two years, with recommendations to prevent similar incidents.
Times
8 hours ago
- Times
Nottingham victims' parents brand watchdog director ‘offensive'
A senior official at the police watchdog is facing a complaint after bereaved families claimed he conducted a prayer for their loved ones before a meeting about the failings that led to their deaths. The families of students killed by a paranoid schizophrenic in Nottingham said they found Derrick Campbell's behaviour inappropriate, patronising and offensive. Dr Sanjoy Kumar, whose daughter Grace O'Malley-Kumar was one of three people killed in June 2023, said: 'I didn't want prayers from the IOPC. I wanted answers.' Campbell, a pastor at a church in Wolverhampton, was the Independent Office for Police Conduct's regional director overseeing multiple investigations into police failings in the case of Valdo Calocane, who fatally stabbed O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, both 19, and Ian Coates, 65. Bereaved families have been highly critical of the watchdog's approach. After concerns about a lack of rigour, the IOPC was forced to reopen its inquiry into officers who failed to arrest Calocane a month before the attack. In March 2024, nine months after the killings, families met with Campbell for an update on four investigations into police conduct. Kumar said Campbell began the meeting with a prayer that reflected on their loss. 'I found it patronising and offensive,' Kumar said. 'I didn't want a prayer, I wanted answers. I've lost my daughter and it was his job to give me the truth, not a prayer. There are plenty of places to pray and the IOPC isn't one of them.' Emma Webber, Barnaby Webber's mother, said Campbell gave a generic prayer. She accused him of failing to give families full details about the IOPC's investigations. She was offended when, while discussing the officers who failed to arrest Calocane, Campbell said they were not to know he would go on to commit heinous acts. Campbell's register of interests at the IOPC shows he is a non-executive director at Zion City Tabernacle, a church where he is also a pastor. He now has a new role as the IOPC's director of engagement, after regional directors were removed following an organisational restructure. The IOPC said: 'We can confirm we've received a complaint about one of our directors and we are dealing with it in line with our complaints and feedback procedure.' The complaint is at the assessment stage. The IOPC has not yet launched an investigation — the step at which it acknowledges there are grounds for concern. Families have accused the IOPC of having a closed mindset over its investigation into the conduct of police investigating Calocane's assault on fellow factory workers on May 5, 2023, a month before his attack in Nottingham. The watchdog found 11 failings to properly investigate Calocane, who had a history of violence and had been sectioned four times. • Nottingham attack survivor: I wish Valdo Calocane had killed me instead It initially recommended the officers be charged with misconduct, meaning they would not face dismissal and would probably receive the sanction of a warning. The IOPC took the rare step of reopening its inquiry after The Times revealed IOPC investigators had not scrutinised discrepancies in officer accounts. The relatives of the victims had also raised concerns about 'significant errors and vital omissions' in the inquiry. Families are set to meet Wes Streeting, the health secretary, on Monday and raise concerns about transparency in the case. Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, where Calocane was treated, has declined to answer further specific questions about his care, citing the government's decision to call a public inquiry. Hearings will not begin until next year. An independent review revealed in February that Calocane was discharged from mental health services without any follow-ups or risk assessment even though staff knew he posed a danger. He had been allowed to skip medication that would have stopped his delusions because he did not like needles. The NHS is yet to confirm how many doctors were involved in Calocane's care and whether the same staff were responsible for repeated mistakes. The trust has also refused to confirm whether any staff have been given fresh training in light of the case or have been referred for regulatory action.
