Driver guilty of dragging head teacher to his death

Warning: This article contains distressing content

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.

Simon Richardson crashed into 56-year-old Michael Mullins, who was cycling home from his job at Stretford Grammar School on the evening of 20 April in the village of Warburton in Trafford, Greater Manchester.

Prosecutors claimed Richardson, 35, fled the scene of the crash before stopping to try to dislodge the injured but still-living cyclist and then driving on with Mr Mullins still lodged underneath the vehicle.

Richardson was also convicted of dangerous driving and will return to Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to be sentenced on Monday.

There were shouts of "Yes!" from the court's public gallery as the guilty murder verdict was announced.

Others could also be heard crying.

The judge, Mrs Justice Brunner KC, told Richardson that there was only one sentence for murder, namely life imprisonment.

In a statement released after the verdicts had been returned, Mr Mullins' family described him as "an anchor", "the perfect dad" and "our everything".

"My past, present and future have been brutally and callously torn apart," said his widow.

"My memories of being with Michael through the rough and the smooth are now permanently tainted with sadness."

Mr Mullins' son described his late father as "the type of Dad that would show up to everything".

He said: "Our last exchange of words together before he dropped me at the station was him reminding me of how proud he was of me."

Mr Mullins' daughter added: "I made a promise in those first days that I would live the rest of my life for my Dad and give myself the life he had started to see me grow into and wanted for me.

"I am here telling you all that my Dad was and always will be our everything."

The court heard Richardson, of no fixed address, had driven through "give way" markings at a junction in Warburton before colliding with the father-of-two, who went under the Volvo XC90.

Richardson then drove off before stoppingin 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, causing "crushing" chest injuries.

Richardson's cousin Gabrielle Debotte, who was a passenger in the front seat of the car, previously told the court that 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."

The prosecution claimed Mr Mullins' 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.

"For a split second after the collision, for a brief moment he possibly thought about doing the right thing and getting out and taking ownership of what he had just done and help the man he had just run down.

"But Simon Richardson did not get out. He did not do the right thing. He chose to drive away.

"The obvious reason is because he wanted to escape the consequences of what he had just done."

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.

Richardson was arrested the next day following a police chase.

He denied murder as he claimed he did not realise Mr Mullins was underneath his car and said he did not get out of his vehicle in a bid to free him.

But jurors did not believe him and found him guilty of murder.

Mrs Justice Brunner KC thanked members of the jury and acknowledged their job "cannot have been easy".

She discharged the jurors from taking jury service again for 10 years and told them: "This was, I know, an upsetting case and there was evidence which you may have found distressing."

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