Simon Richardson has been found guilty of murdering Michael Mullins, a head teacher who was dragged for more than a mile to his death while trapped under the wheels of his car after a crash in Greater Manchester.
Richardson, 35, was also convicted of dangerous driving. The 56-year-old Mr Mullins was cycling home from his job at Stretford Grammar School on the evening of 20 April in the village of Warburton, Trafford. Mr Mullins, a father of two, had been head teacher of the school for 17 years.
The court heard Richardson drove through "give way" markings at a junction before colliding with Mr Mullins, who went under the Volvo XC90. Richardson then drove off, stopped in a country lane and twice got out in attempts to pull Mr Mullins free, the jury was told. He then mounted the grass verge, finally dislodged him, and reversed over Mr Mullins, causing "crushing" chest injuries.
The prosecution argued Mr Mullins's injuries were caused by "dragging and crushing" rather than the impact of the crash itself. Prosecutor Phil Barnes KC told jurors: "Simon Richardson knew he was there and he inevitably knew what the consequences of driving on would be, and he did it anyway." He said Richardson's likely reason was that "he wanted to escape the consequences of what he had just done."
Richardson's cousin Gabrielle Debotte, who was a passenger in the front seat, previously told the court that both had heard "moaning" shortly after the collision and that Richardson had said: "He is under the car."
A motorcyclist followed a trail of blood and found Mr Mullins alone and barely breathing on a grass verge in a secluded country lane in Lymm, Cheshire. He was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency services. Richardson was arrested the next day following a police chase.
He denied murder, claiming he did not realise Mr Mullins was underneath his car and saying he did not get out in a bid to free him. Jurors did not believe him and returned a murder verdict. There were shouts of “Yes!” from the public gallery as the verdict was returned, and others could be heard crying.
The judge, Mrs Justice Brunner KC, told Richardson there was only one sentence for murder, namely life imprisonment, and thanked the jurors, acknowledging their job "cannot have been easy." He is due to be sentenced at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Monday.
In a tribute, Mr Mullins's family said: "He was devoted to his family and our lives will never be the same. A gap has been left in our hearts and within his role as a head teacher of Stretford Grammar School."
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The conviction treats leaving a dying person trapped under a car and driving on as murder, not merely a fatal road collision.
- It brings a measure of accountability for a death that shocked the local community and the school Mr Mullins led for 17 years.
- Monday's sentencing carries a mandatory life term, with the judge having already made clear that is the only available sentence.
Background
Michael Mullins, 56, was cycling home from Stretford Grammar School on the evening of 20 April when Richardson's Volvo XC90 struck him in Warburton, Trafford. The court heard Richardson drove through give way markings, fled the scene, stopped to try to dislodge the injured cyclist, then reversed over him after finally removing him from under the vehicle. The prosecution said his injuries came from "dragging and crushing" rather than the initial impact.
Key Perspectives
The prosecution: argued Richardson knew Mr Mullins was under his car and drove on because he wanted to escape the consequences of what he had done.
Simon Richardson: denied murder, saying he did not realise Mr Mullins was underneath his car and did not get out in a bid to free him.
The Mullins family: said he was devoted to his family, that "our lives will never be the same," and that a gap has been left in their hearts and in his role at Stretford Grammar School.
What to Watch
- Richardson is due to be sentenced on Monday at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, including for the dangerous driving conviction.
- The judge told Richardson that the only sentence for murder is life imprisonment, leaving the minimum term to be fixed at sentencing.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe headline says Richardson was found guilty of murdering Mullins, who was dragged to death under Richardson’s car.BBC News: “A man has been found guilty of murdering a head teacher who was dragged to his death for more than a mile while trapped under the wheels of a car.”
- Partly supportedThe summary places the more-than-a-mile drag in Trafford.World news | The Guardian: “The prosecution said Richardson drove to a secluded farm track in Wet Gate Lane, Lymm, 1.3 miles away, in an attempt to dislodge Mullins.”
- SupportedProsecutor Phil Barnes KC said Richardson knew Mullins was there and knew the consequences of driving on.BBC News: “Simon Richardson knew he was there and he inevitably knew what the consequences of driving on would be, and he did it anyway.”
- SupportedBarnes said Richardson wanted to escape the consequences of what he had done.BBC News: “The obvious reason is because he wanted to escape the consequences of what he had just done.”
- SupportedRichardson’s cousin Gabrielle Debotte said they heard “moaning” and that Richardson said, “He is under the car.”BBC News: “both of them had heard "moaning" shortly after the collision in Paddock Lane and that he had gone on to say: "He is under the car."”
- SupportedThe prosecution argued Mullins’s injuries were caused by “dragging and crushing” rather than the crash impact itself.BBC News: “The prosecution claimed Mr Mullins' injuries were caused by "dragging and crushing" rather than the impact of the crash itself.”
- SupportedThe court heard Richardson stopped in a country lane, twice got out to try to free Mullins, then mounted the verge and reversed over him.BBC News: “Richardson then drove off before stopping in a country lane and twice getting out of the vehicle in attempts to pull Mr Mullins free, the jury was told. He then mounted the grass verge in his Volvo and finally dislodged him before reversing over Mr Mullins”
- SupportedRichardson was also convicted of dangerous driving.BBC News: “Richardson was also convicted of dangerous driving and will return to Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to be sentenced on Monday.”
- SupportedA motorcyclist found Mullins barely breathing on a grass verge, and emergency services pronounced him dead at the scene.BBC News: “A motorcyclist followed a trail of blood and discovered Mr Mullins alone and barely breathing as he lay on a grass verge in a secluded country lane in Lymm, Cheshire. The head teacher was pronounced dead at the scene shortly afterwards by emergency services.”
- SupportedJudge Mrs Justice Brunner KC told Richardson that murder carried only one sentence, life imprisonment.BBC News: “The judge, Mrs Justice Brunner KC, told Richardson that there was only one sentence for murder, namely life imprisonment.”
- SupportedRichardson is due to be sentenced at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Monday.BBC News: “Richardson was also convicted of dangerous driving and will return to Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to be sentenced on Monday.”
- SupportedMullins’s family said he was devoted to them and that their lives would never be the same.BBC News: “He was devoted to his family and our lives will never be the same.”