Richardson guilty in Mullins death; 1.3-mile drag ends in murder conviction
A Manchester jury found Simon Richardson guilty of murder on Friday after hearing he drove a cyclist trapped under his Volvo XC90 to a farm track in Lymm.
By Jonathan Reed ·
Simon Richardson, 35, was found guilty of murder at Manchester Minshull Street crown court on Friday, 30 October, after a trial heard he drove 1.3 miles with headteacher Michael Mullins trapped beneath his Volvo XC90. Mullins, 56, died from multiple injuries at the scene on a grass verge in Lymm.
Richardson collided with Mullins on the evening of 20 April as the cyclist rode home from Stretford grammar school in Greater Manchester. The court heard Mullins struck the bonnet and windscreen before becoming entangled in the vehicle's suspension, where he remained inches beneath Richardson's feet as the car continued.
Richardson drove to a secluded farm track in Lymm, 1.3 miles from the collision site in Warburton, in an attempt to dislodge the cyclist. Prosecutors said he twice tried to pull Mullins out, then drove sharply from side to side and mounted a grass verge. Mullins was released but was struck again when Richardson reversed and drove away.
A motorcyclist followed a trail of blood from the collision point and found Mullins alone and barely breathing on the verge. Emergency services attended but could not save him.
Richardson was arrested the following day after a police vehicle pursuit. He denied murder, telling the trial he did not realize Mullins was under the car and did not get out to free him. His front-seat passenger and cousin, Gabrielle Debotte, testified they both heard moaning as he drove off, and that Richardson then said, "He's under the car."
Prosecutor Phil Barnes KC told jurors Richardson knew the cyclist was trapped, adding, "and he inevitably knew what the consequences of driving on would be, and he did it anyway." Defense counsel Jaime Hamilton KC acknowledged in his closing speech that Richardson's actions caused Mullins's death but argued that did not establish the homicide charges on the indictment.
Jurors began deliberations on Wednesday and returned the guilty verdict on Friday. Members of Mullins's family wept in court as it was delivered. Mrs Justice Brunner KC discharged the jurors from further jury service for 10 years, saying, "This was, I know, an upsetting case and there was evidence which you may have found distressing."
Richardson will be sentenced on Monday. Mullins, from Northwich, Cheshire, was a father of two and served as headteacher at Stretford grammar school; his family said in a statement that a gap had been left "within his role as a headteacher of Stretford grammar school."
