A jury in Manchester, England, found Simon Richardson, 35, guilty of murder on October 30, 2026. He dragged cyclist Michael Mullins, 56, more than a mile (2.2 km) under his car.
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Mullins was riding home from work. Prosecutors say it is one of the first murder convictions to come out of a road collision.
How Prosecutors Showed He Knew
The two-week murder trial rested on what Richardson did after the collision. On April 20, he drove through a junction in Warburton, Greater Manchester, and hit Mullins, trapping him under his Volvo XC90.
His cousin, in the passenger seat, told the court both heard moaning and that he said, “He is under the car.”
Richardson stopped, got out and tried to pull Mullins free. He then drove on along Wet Gate Lane in Lymm, Cheshire, England, veering side to side until Mullins came free on a grass verge.
A post-mortem found Mullins died from injuries sustained while being dragged, not from the collision.
“His decision to continue driving, knowing death or really serious injury was virtually foreseeable, led us to pursue a conviction of murder rather than causing death by dangerous driving,” said Rebecca Macaulay-Addison, a Crown Prosecution Service specialist prosecutor.
Richardson denied knowing Mullins was under the car and did not give evidence.
He swapped the Volvo for a friend’s van and was arrested the next day after trying to evade police. That chase brought a separate dangerous driving conviction.
“Our Everything”: His Family Speaks
Mullins was head teacher (principal) of Stretford Grammar School for 17 years, a father of two who regularly rode the 19 miles home.
His widow said her “past, present and future have been brutally and callously torn apart.” His daughter said he “was and always will be our everything.”
The judge told Richardson the only sentence for murder is life imprisonment. Sentencing is November 2.
Watch the Moment Police Arrested Richardson
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