A husband has described how he watched in “helpless horror” as his wife was fatally hit by a van at a golf course after the vehicle was involved in a police chase.

Suzanne Cherry, 62, died in hospital four days after she was struck on the morning of 11 April, Staffordshire Police said.

Two patrol cars had been following the grey Nissan van in Kingstanding, Birmingham, after receiving reports of suspicious activity, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

They stopped chasing the van when it came off the road and went up an embankment at Aston Wood Golf Club, where it hit Ms Cherry, of Aldridge, Walsall.

In a statement released by police, Ms Cherry’s husband – who was not named – paid tribute to his “beautiful wife” and said her death leaves an “unfillable void” in the lives of her family.

“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.

Ms Cherry’s husband said she had “an amazing and infectious zest for life”, adding: “Suzanne leaves 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.

“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.”

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Officers from three different forces have arrested six men in connection with the incident.

The IOPC is continuing to investigate the circumstances before the collision.

Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses to come forward.

Prince Andrew was among members of the royal family who attended the traditional Easter Sunday service in Windsor.

It is the second year in a row that the Duke of York has joined the King and Queen at St George’s Chapel, appearing to enter the chapel quickly after his eldest brother’s arrival.

Other members of the royal family, including Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice and Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, also gathered outside the church.

William and Kate did not attend the annual service, deciding instead to spend time with their children, George, Charlotte and Louis, in Norfolk before they go back to school.

Crowds wished the King and Queen a Happy Easter as they left the chapel, with two children presenting Camilla with a bunch of flowers, before they were driven away.

Andrew was seen glancing at a member of the crowd, who wished him a “Happy Easter” before the duke walked off with his ex-wife.

The duke has not been pictured at a formal royal family event since last Easter. He missed the royal family’s traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham amid the controversy surrounding his links to an alleged Chinese spy.

He disappeared from public life after stepping down from official duties in March 2020, following his explosive TV interview with BBC’s Newsnight.

The Easter sermon is traditionally led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, but was today led by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, from York Minster.

Mr Cottrell has temporarily taken over the role after Justin Welby announced he was stepping down in November last year, after an independent review found he “could and should” have reported decades-long abuse of men and young boys by his former friend, the barrister John Smyth QC.

Mr Cottrell has also apologised for his handling of the case.

King’s message of ‘faith, hope and love’

Last year’s Easter Sunday service was the King’s first major public appearance after he announced his cancer diagnosis.

The 76-year-old monarch is still receiving treatment for cancer, and last month, spent a short period of time in hospital after experiencing temporary side effects.

In his Easter message – a tradition he started when he was the Prince of Wales – Charles reflected on the examples of “great cruelty and great kindness” that “daily come before our eyes” – saying they should remind the world of the importance of the “virtues of faith, hope and love”.

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He shared the message last week ahead of attending the annual Maundy service at Durham Cathedral, where he presented the Maundy recipients – 76 men and 76 women – with two purses: one red and one white, containing Maundy Money.

The ancient tradition traces back to the 13th century and is given to recipients in recognition of outstanding Christian service and work in their local communities.

Police are appealing for information after seven statues – including one of suffragette Millicent Fawcett – were daubed with graffiti during a trans rights rally in London.

The Metropolitan Police said the criminal damage took place during the protest in Parliament Square, Westminster, on Saturday.

Thousands of people had gathered for an “emergency demonstration” following the Supreme Court ruling earlier this week on the definition of a woman.

The words “Trans rights are human rights” were written on a statue of South African statesman Jan Christian Smuts.

The Met Police said officers were trawling CCTV footage and no arrests have been made as yet.

Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell said: “Criminal damage and vandalism like this has no place on the streets of London and spoils the area for locals and those visiting.

“While the police support the public’s right to protest, criminality like this is senseless and unacceptable. We are pursuing this and will take action against those responsible.”

Mr Bell said there were plans to remove the graffiti “but this requires specialist equipment and we are confident this will be done shortly”.

“We are keen to speak to those who saw anything on the day and urge anyone with information, pictures or footage to come forward,” he added.

The force has not shared details of which seven statues were defaced. Parliament Square is home to 12 statues of political figures including Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi.

The Met said it was also dealing with a number of complaints from the public about signs and images shared on social media that were reportedly displayed at the protest.

The force said while officers were investigating the displayed signs and images, they had so far proved to be from historic events, did not take place in London, or did not constitute a criminal offence.

The protest followed a long-awaited judgment delivered on Wednesday, when the UK’s highest court ruled the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 “refer to a biological woman and biological sex”.

It essentially means trans women who hold gender recognition certificates are not women in the eyes of the law.

This means transgender women with one of the certificates can be excluded from single-sex spaces if “proportionate”.

The UK government said the unanimous decision by five judges brought “clarity and confidence” for women and service providers.