Killer driver handed lifetime driving ban and minimum jail term of 25 years for murdering cyclist after dragging him under car for almost five minutes

The motorist who struck a cyclist while speeding, trapping him under his car before dragging him along the road for over a mile and then leaving him for dead, has been handed a life sentence and will be banned from driving for life.

Simon Richardson will spend at least the next 25 years in prison for killing Michael Mullins, a headteacher at Stretford grammar school, as he cycled him through the Warburton, Greater Manchester, on 20 April 2026.

Mullins, a 56-year-old father-of-two, was struck by Richardson when the motorist, who had been driving erratically and at speed prior to the collision, drove through a ‘give way’ sign at a junction on Paddock Lane, shortly after boasting to his passenger that he was a “professional driver”.

The cyclist landed on the bonnet of Richardson’s Volvo XC90 before falling under the car, where his foot became entangled into the 4×4’s suspension. Despite being aware that Mullins, who was still alive at the time, was trapped under his vehicle, the 35-year-old motorist continued to drive on.

On Monday, Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Richardson, who could hear moaning from under the car, was speeding as he dragged the cyclist along the road for four and a half minutes, with one witness noting that he was travelling so fast it looked like the car was “on two wheels”.

Richardson then stopped in a secluded rural lane in Wet Gate Lane, Lymm, 1.3 miles away from the scene of the crash. There, he twice exited his car and attempted to pull Mullins out from under the car.

After failing to do so, he returned to the car, veering sharply from side to side and mounting a grass verge, at which point Mr Mullins was finally dislodged. Richardson then reversed over the stricken cyclist, causing “crushing” chest injuries, before fleeing the scene.

According to the prosecution during last week’s trial, the majority of Mullins’ injuries were caused by “dragging and crushing”, rather than the initial impact of the crash itself.

Mr Mullins was found when a motorcyclist followed a trail of blood stretching from Paddock Lane to the farm track where he was left, the rider discovering the cyclist barely breathing on the grass verge. Emergency services were called, but Mullins died at the scene from his injuries.

Richardson was arrested the following day, after a police chase that took place when he tried to evade officers, first in a van, driving at 50mph in a residential 30mph zone, and then on foot.

The 35-year-old denied murder, claiming that he did not realise Mullins was underneath the vehicle and that he did not attempt to get out of the car to free him. He was found guilty of murder and dangerous driving on Friday.

The court heard on Monday that Richardson had 28 previous convictions, including several driving offences. He was recently sentenced to a two-year community order for assaulting and harassing an emergency worker, the Warrington Guardian reports.

Between 2011 and 2023, he was arrested for careless driving and failing to stop or report a road traffic incident (when he lost control of his vehicle and fled the scene), twice for driving with excess alcohol and driving whilst disqualified (again fleeing the scene on foot), dangerous driving, and driving without a licence or insurance.

On one occasion, in 2014, he attempted to drive away from police at speed before crashing into a vehicle and fleeing on foot. He is also currently on bail for affray, actual bodily harm, and possession of cocaine following a December 2024 arrest.

Addressing Richardson in court today, Judge Mrs Justice Brunner KC said: “On October 30, you were convicted of the murder of Michael Mullins. You took away a life, and in doing so you caused devastation to a family and a community.

“Mr Mullins was described as a strong Cumbrian man who was proud of his roots. He was a family man who would show up for everything despite his busy professional life. He provided inspiration and leadership to so many.”

She continued: “You have never given an account. The jury was sure you knew Michael Mullins was underneath your car when you dragged him to his death.”

The judge noted that, prior to the fatal crash, Richardson was driving in a manner that put “others at risk” and was asked to slow down by his passenger, his cousin Gabrielle Debotte. The court was told that Richardson simply responded by smirking and saying: “I’m a professional driver”.

“You were speeding and not paying any attention to the road,” the judge said. “Mr Mullins crossed the mouth of the junction just before you came flying out of it.”

Mr Mullins survived the crash, but his foot became entangled in the suspension around the car’s left-hand wheel. Despite his cousin telling him to stop, Richardson continued to drive at speed.

“You were thinking only of yourself as you sped away,” she said. “There may have been a short time where you thought Mr Mullins was left on the road, but that was not for long.

“There is no doubt that you knew he was under the car. There was a moaning noise coming from under the car. You heard it, and you said he’s under the car.

“Although you now knew you were dragging a man along the road, you did not stop. Not only did you not stop, you drove at speed.”

After stopping and getting out his vehicle, Richardson, according to the judge, “would have seen a bloodied and severely injured man”.

“Instead of trying to help him, you crouched down and tried to pull him out from under the car,” she said.

“You got back into the car and moved the steering wheel before trying for a second time to pull him out. You set off again, still trying to release Mr Mullins, veering from left to right. You mounted a grass bank to try and release him.

“You reversed off the bank and in doing so you ran over his torso. You left Mr Mullins lying on a grass verge on a secluded country lane with no one else around.”

The court heard that following the fatal crash, Richardson was “drinking and playing music” and “laughing and joking” in Debotte’s home as his cousin was in a “terrible state” upstairs.

“You and your friend talked to her about what to say and not to say and how to act,” the judge said. “You scared her. Over the course of the evening, your friend made Gabrielle Debotte write a note on her phone with a false account that she had not seen you on the day of the collision at all. You did not dictate the note, but you were there and going along with it.”

Ms Debotte confided in her colleagues at work the following day, leading to a police chase which saw Richardson speed at 50mph through a populated 30mph area.

“You have an appalling driving record, as this court has heard,” the judge continued. “You have previously tried to drive off to escape detection, including leaving the scene after careless driving. You have previous convictions for violence, including assaulting an emergency worker.”

Defending Richardson, Jaime Hamilton argued that the absence of premeditation was a mitigating factor in the case, claiming that the vehicle “was not intended to be a weapon”.

Mr Hamilton also told the court that Richardson accepts his actions led to Mr Mullins’ death and expresses remorse.

However, Justice Brunner rejected this expression of remorse, and while accepting that the murder was not premeditated argued that “this carries little weight”.

“You heard him moaning for many minutes. I am sure that you knew he was alive and you thought he was conscious,” she said.

“You knew that you were dragging a man that you knew was conscious against an abrasive road surface for four and a half minutes. You ignored your cousin’s pleas to stop.

“Even after seeing the state he was in, you carried on driving and trying to dislodge him. The footage of the car on Wet Gate Lane swerving from side to side, mounting the verge, and reversing is distressing to watch. It shows a disregard for human life.

“He could not have been more vulnerable. You did that because you decided escaping from the scene of an accident was more important than human life.

“I’m satisfied that you must have known death was a virtual certainty. I reject the submission you are remorseful. You are a man who has had his own self-interest at heart.”

Justice Brunner sentenced Richardson to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years. A concurrent sentence of 18 months was added for the dangerous driving charge.

He was also disqualified from driving for life, a relative rarity in the UK, where just two motorists of the 202 convicted of causing death by dangerous driving were handed lifetime driving bans between June 2023 and June 2024.

In 2020, just nine lifetime driving bans in total were issued in the UK, while 12 and five were handed out in 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Speaking in court today, Mr Mullins’ daughter Maisie said she was “angry that I have to tell you of my dad in the past tense”

“I am angry that his death did not have to happen,” she said. “My dad did not have to be abandoned, he did not have to be dragged for miles.

“My dad Michael was so many things; he loved music, and he was learning to play the guitar. He loved to pick us up from the airport after a holiday to be the first to hear about it and growing up would always offer to pick me and my friends up from concerts to make sure we got home.

“He was the hardest-working person I have ever and will ever know. I feel broken but I know there will be nothing to ever fully fix me. Some days grief swallows me so much it’s hard to believe the last six months are real.

“Dad helped so many children in that school. He had at least nine years before retirement age. That is nine cohorts that have been deprived of him.

“He should have been there at Christmas; he should have been there to walk me down the aisle. I wish for this void in my stomach to be filled. I feel envy for those around me who can still call their dad and hear his voice.

“I worry about the impact of all this on my daughter. He could have seen her graduate and perhaps even marry.

“There will never be justice for what happened to Dad. I am here today to tell you that my dad was and always will be our everything.”