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A tragic incident in Warburton, Trafford, Greater Manchester, has led to a man being convicted of murder after a head teacher was fatally dragged beneath a vehicle. Simon Richardson, aged 35, was found guilty of killing Michael Mullins, 56, who was cycling home from his workplace at Stretford Grammar School on the evening of April 20. The crash occurred when Richardson’s Volvo XC90 struck Mr. Mullins, dragging him for over a mile while he remained trapped underneath the car.
Court proceedings revealed that Richardson had ignored “give way” road markings before the collision and initially fled the scene. However, he later stopped in a rural lane and attempted twice to free Mr. Mullins, who was still alive at that point. Despite these efforts, Richardson’s vehicle mounted a grass verge, dislodging Mr. Mullins, then tragically reversed over him, causing fatal chest injuries. Prosecutors argued that the cause of death was due largely to the dragging and crushing rather than the initial impact of the crash itself.
During the trial, Richardson’s passenger, his cousin Gabrielle Debotte, testified that both of them heard moaning after the collision and that Richardson acknowledged the cyclist was trapped under the car. Despite this awareness, Richardson continued driving after the crash. Prosecutor Phil Barnes KC stated, “Simon Richardson knew he was there and he inevitably knew what the consequences of driving on would be, and he did it anyway.” He highlighted that Richardson might have briefly considered helping but chose instead to flee, saying, “The obvious reason is because he wanted to escape the consequences of what he had just done.”
Mr. Mullins was later found by a motorcyclist lying on a grass verge in Lymm, Cheshire, barely breathing. Emergency responders pronounced him dead at the scene. Richardson was arrested the following day after a police chase. He denied murder, claiming he was unaware that Mr. Mullins was under his vehicle and that he had not intended to free him, but the jury rejected his defense. The judge, Mrs Justice Brunner KC, informed Richardson that the only sentence for murder is life imprisonment. She thanked the jurors for their difficult work and excused them from jury service for the next ten years. Mr. Mullins’s family remembered him as devoted, saying, “A gap has been left in our hearts and within his role as a head teacher of Stretford Grammar School.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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