Bloxwich, England– A man who admitted defrauding elderly and vulnerable people through unnecessary roofing work has been jailed for causing the death of a woman during a high-speed police chase.
John McDonald, 52, of Bloxwich, West Midlands, along with his son Johnny McDonald, 23, of Dudley, and Brett Delany, 35, of Darlaston, Walsall, targeted elderly victims and carried out substandard and unnecessary roof work under the name Approved Roofs Ltd. Worcester Crown Court heard the three men swindled four elderly and vulnerable victims out of tens of thousands of pounds between February and April 2025.
On April 11, 2025, two West Midlands Police officers in a marked vehicle saw the three men in a grey Nissan van tailing an elderly victim on the way to a cash machine. After police began following the van, McDonald sped off, leading officers on a 12-minute chase. The court heard the van was driven recklessly, reaching 70mph in 30mph residential areas, colliding with several vehicles, crossing onto the wrong side of the road, and repeatedly reversing into and ramming the pursuing police vehicle.
The chase ended when the van mounted the pavement and drove down a grassy bank onto the Aston Wood Golf Club course in Shenstone, Staffordshire. On the course, Suzanne Cherry, 62, was golfing with her partner Clinton Harrison when the van struck her at speed near a stream. Cherry suffered multiple injuries, was taken to hospital by air ambulance, and had her leg amputated. She died four days later from extensive injuries.
All three men fled the scene. Prosecutors said McDonald stepped over Cherry as he ran away. The trio were arrested days later.
On January 12, 2026, McDonald pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, and it was confirmed he did not have a driving license. He also pleaded guilty, along with Johnny McDonald and Delany, to conspiracy to commit fraud. The men had originally faced a manslaughter allegation, which they denied. The court was informed all three defendants had prior convictions.
The next day, McDonald was sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison, with a simultaneous four-year sentence for conspiracy to commit fraud. The judge ruled McDonald must serve two-thirds of the sentence in custody before release on license. Johnny McDonald was sentenced to 32 months in prison, and Delany received 28 months, both for fraud conspiracy.
