A Trail of Blood Stretching More Than a Mile: Headteacher’s Tragic Final Moments Revealed in Murder Trial

A respected headteacher died after being struck by a car and dragged for more than a mile beneath the vehicle, a court in Manchester has heard. The disturbing details of Michael Mullins’ final journey have emerged during the murder trial of Simon Richardson, 35, who is accused of hitting the 56-year-old cyclist and continuing to drive despite allegedly knowing he was trapped underneath his car.

Mullins was cycling home from Stretford Grammar School, where he had worked as headteacher for 17 years, when he was struck by a black Volvo XC90 on April 20. Prosecutors told jurors that Richardson allegedly drove through give-way markings at a junction in the Altrincham area before colliding with the father. Rather than stopping to check on the cyclist, the prosecution claims the driver continued along the road, at times travelling at speeds far above the limit.

According to the prosecution, Mullins became trapped beneath the vehicle and was dragged for approximately 2.2 kilometres. Jurors heard that damage to the Volvo’s bonnet and windscreen was later captured by an automatic number plate recognition camera. Prosecutors argue that the damage, together with the circumstances of the collision, meant Richardson would have known he had struck someone and that the person could be seriously injured.

The horrifying journey eventually left a trail that witnesses described as blood stretching across the road. Andrew Besant-Roberts, a motorcyclist who came across the scene, told the court he initially noticed something unusual on the ground. As he followed it, he realised it was blood. The trail led him along Mill Lane and then Wet Gate Lane in Lymm, Cheshire, where he discovered Mullins lying unconscious on a grass verge.

Besant-Roberts said the cyclist was still breathing when he found him, but his condition quickly worsened. He called emergency services and followed instructions from a call handler to perform chest compressions. Despite the efforts to help him, Mullins was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:50 p.m., around 40 minutes after the initial collision.

Other witnesses also described seeing or hearing something deeply concerning. Katie Woodward, who was near the Green Dragon pub on Mill Lane, said she noticed something beneath a vehicle moving at speed. At first, she thought it might be an animal because she struggled to believe a person could be trapped underneath a car. She later followed the dark trail left behind by the vehicle. Dog walker Peter Connell separately told the court he heard a loud dragging noise and saw something large moving beneath the front passenger-side area of the passing car. He said he was surprised that the driver did not stop.

Prosecutors allege that Richardson later pulled over on a quiet country lane and attempted to remove Mullins from beneath the Volvo. When that effort failed, he allegedly got back into the vehicle and continued driving. The Crown further claims he swerved from side to side and mounted a grass verge before Mullins was finally dislodged. These allegations form a central part of the prosecution’s case that the driver knew the cyclist was trapped and alive but continued regardless.

Richardson denies murdering Mullins and also denies the alternative charge of manslaughter. He has separately pleaded not guilty to a dangerous-driving allegation connected to a police pursuit the following day, before his arrest. The trial is ongoing, and the prosecution’s claims have yet to be determined by the jury.

The case has left the court confronting a devastating sequence of events: a journey home from work that ended in tragedy, witnesses following a trail of blood in an attempt to find its source, and a passerby making a desperate effort to save a dying man. The coming days of the trial are expected to further examine what happened on the road and what the defendant knew during the journey.

Source: The Sun