The key facts

  • Simon Richardson, 35, sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 25 years and a lifetime driving ban
  • Simon Richardson, 35, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 25 years and a lifetime driving ban
  • The victim — Michael Mullins, 56, head teacher of Stretford Grammar School, was cycling home from school
  • The victim was Michael Mullins, 56, head teacher of Stretford Grammar School, who was cycling home from school
  • The jury returned a guilty verdict on Friday after a trial lasting more than two weeks

Sentence after a two-week trial

A driver who dragged a head teacher under his car has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. According to BBC News, 35-year-old Simon Richardson received a minimum term of 25 years and a lifetime driving ban; the sentence was handed down by Mrs Justice Bramer at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, who noted that the term was 'needed to protect the public'. The jury returned a guilty verdict on Friday after a trial lasting more than two weeks.

Circumstances of the tragedy

The collision happened on 20 April in Warburton, Greater Manchester: 56-year-old Michael Mullins, a father of two, was cycling home from Stretford Grammar School in Trafford, where he worked as head teacher. According to the prosecution, Richardson drove through a 'give way' marking at a junction in Altrincham, hit the cyclist, and then, knowing the man was alive and trapped under the vehicle, kept driving. Richardson's cousin, passenger Gabrielle Debott, told the court that both of them heard 'moaning' from outside as he drove away from the crash site. After travelling 1.3 miles (2.1 km) to a secluded farm road in Lymm, he tried to shake the body off, and when Mullins finally came free, he ran him over in reverse and drove off. A motorcyclist later followed a trail of blood and found Mullins lying at the roadside, barely breathing; he could not be saved — he died from multiple injuries.

The defence's position and the court's response

Richardson denied murder, claiming he did not realise a person was under the car, and described his decision not to get out of the vehicle as an attempt to free him. The court, however, saw it differently: Judge Bramer said he 'dragged a man, whom you believed to be conscious, for four and a half minutes', calling the CCTV footage 'an astonishing disregard for human life'. It was also noted as 'astonishing that no one else was hurt'. Richardson, according to the judge, had an 'appalling driving history' with previous convictions for drink-driving and careless driving; for a police chase on 21 April he was additionally convicted of dangerous driving. He was arrested the day after the crash. The victim's wife Sarah, who had been with him for 27 years, said in her victim impact statement: 'We are completely adrift and lost without our anchor, Michael Mullins'.

What else is known

BBC separately examines the role of the passenger's testimony in persuading the jury — a piece on how the cousin's admission helped prove murder, was published separately by the outlet. The tafs.uz editorial team notes: the key change compared with earlier reports is the case moving from verdict to sentencing: three days ago BBC reported only Richardson's conviction, now the minimum term (25 years) and the lifetime driving ban are known. The exact date of possible parole remains unknown — it is only known that the minimum will be 25 years.

A mugshot of Simon Richardson, who is wearing a grey custody jumper and has no expression on his face.Image source, GMP
Image caption,

Richardson was jailed for a minimum of 25 years for the murder of Michael Mullins in the village of Warburton

Michael Mullins, a bald man wearing dark-framed glasses on his head and a black T-shirt with a red rose.Image source, Family handout
Image caption,

Michael Mullins was head teacher of Stretford Grammar School in Trafford, Greater Manchester

Map showing the 2.2km route taken by Simon Richardson after a collision near Warburton, Greater Manchester, in which cyclist Michael Mullins was killed. The map marks the site of the initial collision, where Mullins's body was later found near a farm, and a point where Richardson briefly left his car. A wider map of Greater Manchester below shows Richardson was later seen at a petrol station in Lymm, swapped the car for a van at a pub in Altrincham, and was arrested the following day in Failsworth.
Image caption,

Michael Mullins was dragged for more than a mile by Simon Richardson's car

CCTV image showing the front of a dark-coloured Volvo XC90 on a narrow road, with Simon Richardson visible through the windscreen in the driver's seat.Image source, GMP
Image caption,

Simon Richardson's Volvo was captured on CCTV after it struck Michael Mullins

Michael Mullins, wearing a black coat and a burnt orange and navy coloured hat, is standing in front of a lake with rolling hills in the background.Image source, Family handout
Image caption,

Michael Mullins's wife told the court earlier: 'We are completely adrift and bereft without our anchor, Michael Mullins'.

CCTV image showing the front of a dark-coloured Volvo XC90 on a narrow road, with Simon Richardson visible through the windscreen in the driver's seat.A white man wearing a black bubble coat, with the hood up, and black trousers walks across a petrol forecourt away from a black Volvo XC90 estate style car.