Michael Mullins, 56, was cycling his usual 19-mile (30 km) commute home from work near Manchester, England, on April 20, 2026, when a car hit him.
A murder trial jury has heard he was trapped under the car and dragged more than a mile. Simon Richardson, 35, denies murder.
What the Jury Heard
At 6:07 p.m. on Paddock Lane at the Dunham Road junction in Warburton, Trafford, a black Volvo XC90 drove through give-way (yield) signs and struck the left side of Mullins’ bike, prosecutors say.
The driver did not stop and fled at speeds above 60 mph (97 km/h), according to the prosecution.
“Michael Mullins was nowhere to be seen,” prosecutor Philip Barnes KC told the jury.
Prosecutors say Richardson stopped for about 90 seconds on Wet Gate Lane, tried twice to pull Mullins free, then drove on. Apple Watch data showed his heart was still beating at that stop, the jury heard.
A Trail That Led to a Grass Verge
Witnesses found the bike but not the rider. A motorcyclist followed a blood trail about 1.3 miles (2.2 km) to a grass verge on Wet Gate Lane in Lymm, Cheshire, England, and gave chest compressions, a witness statement read in court said.
Mullins was pronounced dead at the roadside at 6:50 p.m. Prosecutors say he died from being dragged and crushed, not the initial impact.
A Head Teacher for 17 Years
Mullins was head teacher (principal) of Stretford Grammar School for 17 years, a married father of two from Northwich, Cheshire, England.
Richardson denies murder, an alternative count of manslaughter, and dangerous driving. The trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court opened on October 13 and is expected to last about five weeks.
Related: More Americans Are Cycling Than Ever, but the Roads Are Getting Deadlier
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