What We Know
Michael Mullins: What We Know
Video · 3:04 · Watch on YouTube
Why did the driver who hit Michael Mullins get a murder conviction, not a driving offence? Michael Mullins, 56, headteacher of Stretford Grammar School for 17 years, was cycling home through Warburton, near Altrincham, on April 20, 2026, when he was hit by a car. On Oct. 30, a jury at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court convicted the driver, Simon Richardson, 35, of murder and dangerous driving; prosecutors said he knew Mr Mullins was trapped under his car and kept driving. Richardson denied murder, saying he didn't realise. On Nov. 2, Mrs Justice Brunner KC sentenced him to life with a minimum term of 25 years and banned him from driving for life.
What's confirmed
- Apr. 20, 2026, just after 6 p.m.Michael Mullins was hit while cycling home through Warburton, near Altrincham. Prosecutors said the car came through a give-way junction and hit him. (CPS North West; PA Media; LBC)
- He was trapped under the car and carried more than a mile, into Lymm. Prosecutors said the driver stopped, tried to pull him free, then left him and drove away. Mr Mullins died. (CPS North West; road.cc; LBC)
- Apr. 21police caught up with Richardson after a pursuit. He gave no account to police. (CPS North West; road.cc)
- Apr. 24Greater Manchester Police announced he had been charged with murder. (GMP via Greatest Hits Radio; PA Media)
- Oct. 2026 trialhis passenger testified she heard him say, "He's under the car." The defence said he didn't realise Mr Mullins was under the car and denied trying to free him. (road.cc; LBC; ITV News Granada)
- Oct. 30the jury convicted him of murder and dangerous driving. The CPS said: "It was his conduct after the collision that formed the basis of the murder charge," and called it "one of the first murder convictions arising following a road traffic collision." (CPS North West)
- Nov. 2life, minimum 25 years; 18 months concurrent for dangerous driving; banned from driving for life. The judge told him: "You decided escaping from the scene of an accident was more important than a human life." (PA Media; LBC; road.cc)
- His wife told the court her past, present and future had been "torn apart." His school called him a compassionate leader. (PA Media; LBC)
What we don't know / what's disputed
- Whether he will appeal the conviction or sentence. None had been reported as of Nov. 6, 2026.
- Reports differ on the exact road where the collision happened and give the distance as 2.2 km or 1.3 miles (both more than a mile).
What happens next
- Any appeal goes to the Court of Appeal, normally applied for within 28 days of sentence.
- A minimum term of 25 years means the earliest he can be considered for release by the Parole Board is about 2051. That is a parole review, not a release date.
- We'll update this video if an appeal is filed.
Chapters
- 0:00Michael Mullins murder case: what we know
- 0:23Michael Mullins, Stretford Grammar headteacher
- 0:48Michael Mullins: what happened on April 20
- 1:22Simon Richardson trial: what the jury decided
- 2:12Simon Richardson sentence: where it stands
Read the video transcript
Michael Mullins was cycling home from his school. The driver who hit him is now serving life. Not for a crash. For murder.
The Crown Prosecution Service calls it one of the first murder convictions to follow a road collision. So how does a collision become murder? Michael Mullins was fifty-six. For seventeen years he was the headteacher of Stretford Grammar School, in Trafford.
He was a father of two, married for twenty-seven years. His school called him a “compassionate leader.” His wife told the court her past, present and future had been “torn apart.” On April twentieth, just after six in the evening, he was cycling home through Warburton, near Altrincham. Prosecutors say a Volvo came through a give-way junction at speed and hit him. He was trapped under the car, and the driver kept going, more than a mile, into Lymm.
Prosecutors say he stopped, tried to pull him free, then left him and drove away. Michael Mullins died. The next day, police caught up with him after a chase. Simon Richardson, thirty-five, told police nothing.
At trial, he denied murder. His defence: he didn't realise Michael was under the car, and he denied trying to free him. But his passenger testified she heard him say, “He's under the car.” This is the Crown Prosecution Service's release, from October thirtieth: it was his conduct after the collision that formed the basis of the murder charge. The jury found him guilty of murder, and of dangerous driving.
The jury was sure he knew. That is what made it murder. On November second, Mrs Justice Brunner sentenced him to life. She told him: “You decided escaping from the scene of an accident was more important than a human life.” He must serve at least twenty-five years before he can even be considered for release, and he's banned from driving for life.
What we don't know: whether he'll appeal. None has been reported. We'll update this if one is filed. We cover one documented case at a time, sourced to the record.
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Sources
- Crown Prosecution Service North West, news release, Oct. 30, 2026 Primary recordcps.gov.uk/national-news-north-west/news/driver-guilty-murder-after-striking-local-headteacher-bicycle-and
- PA Media via The Irish News, Nov. 2, 2026 Reportingirishnews.com/news/uk/motorist-who-dragged-cyclist-under-car-for-more-than-a-mile-jailed-for-murder-XPDW2OMYBBODJOZCOKOVXE3V5Q/
- PA Media via The Irish News, Oct. 30, 2026 Reportingirishnews.com/news/uk/wife-of-headteacher-dragged-a-mile-under-car-says-her-life-has-been-torn-apart-Y6TEGC5QNJLL5AVD7NG3VISEXU/
- LBC, Nov. 2, 2026 Reportinglbc.co.uk/crime/motorist-dragged-cyclist-under-car-jailed-murder/
- road.cc, Nov. 2, 2026 Reportingroad.cc/news/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
- ITV News Granada, Oct. 22, 2026 Reportingitv.com/news/granada/2026-10-22/driver-unaware-cyclist-was-under-car-until-dislodged-murder-trial-hears
- Greatest Hits Radio (GMP charge release), Apr. 24, 2026 Reportinghellorayo.co.uk/greatest-hits-60s/uk/news/murder-charge-headteacher-altrincham-crash-michael-mullins
The record · as of Nov. 12, 2026
How we know
Primary records are court and agency documents; reporting is news coverage we checked against them. How we report.
What happens next
- 28-day window for leave to appeal / unduly-lenient-sentence referral (sentence 2 Nov 2026): check for an appeal filed, follow up if so
Verified timeline
- 2026-04-20Shortly after 6 p.m. (GMP: about 6:10 p.m.), Michael Mullins, 56, headteacher of Stretford Grammar School, was hit by a Volvo XC90 while cycling home through Warburton, near Altrincham. The driver did not stop. Road name varies: CPS 'Warburton Lane, Altrincham'; GMP/PA/LBC 'Paddock Lane'.CPS North West Oct 30 (#1606); GMP via Hello Rayo Apr 24 (#1614/#1619); PA via Irish News (#1609/#1610); LBC (#1611/#1612)
- 2026-04-20He was trapped under the car and dragged more than a mile (CPS 2.2 km; road.cc/LBC/PA 1.3 miles) to Wet Gate Lane, Lymm. CPS: he died of multiple injuries sustained while being dragged, not the initial impact. (Duration: judge ~4.5 min per road.cc; road.cc headline 'almost five' -- not for VO.)CPS (#1606); road.cc Oct 30 + Nov 2 (#1607/#1608); LBC (#1611/#1612); PA (#1609)
- 2026-04-20Prosecution case, accepted by the jury and recited by the judge at sentencing: the driver stopped on Wet Gate Lane, left Mr Mullins there and drove away, later switching to a van. Defence denied he got out to try to free him.CPS (#1606); judge's remarks via road.cc Nov 2 (#1607); PA Oct 30 (#1610)
- 2026-04-21Simon Richardson was arrested in Failsworth (Oldham) the day after, when officers tried to stop the van he was driving and he drove dangerously (road.cc: ~50 mph in a 30 zone, then fled on foot). This pursuit is the dangerous-driving count.CPS (#1606); road.cc Nov 2 (#1607); LBC Oct 14 (#1612)
- 2026-04-24Richardson, then 34 (DOB 16 May 1991), of no fixed address, was charged with murder, manslaughter, dangerous driving, failing to stop and driving without insurance; remanded in custody to appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court on Fri Apr 24.GMP via Hello Rayo Apr 24 (#1619); PA syndication (V2 Radio et al, #1620, via search snippets)
- 2026-10-22Defence position: Richardson said he did not realise Mr Mullins was under the car (ITV Oct 22: not until he was dislodged after a mile) and denied getting out to try to free him. He accepted his driving caused the death and said he was remorseful (judge rejected the remorse).ITV Granada Oct 22 (#1622); PA Oct 30 (#1610); LBC Nov 2 (#1611); road.cc Nov 2 (#1607)
- 2026-10-30After a trial of more than two weeks, the jury found Richardson, 35, guilty of murder and of dangerous driving (the Apr 21 pursuit). Manslaughter was an alternative count, not reached.CPS (#1606); LBC (#1611/#1612); PA via Irish News (#1610); road.cc Oct 30 (#1608)
- 2026-11-02Mrs Justice Brunner KC at sentencing: 'You did that because you decided escaping from the scene of an accident was more important than a human life.' (PA wording; MEN agrees; road.cc drops 'a'). Use PA wording.PA Media via The Irish News, Nov 2 2026; MEN Facebook post (Studio event Nov 5); road.cc Nov 2 (variant)
- 2026-11-02Mrs Justice Brunner KC sentenced him at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years, plus a lifetime driving ban; 18 months concurrent for dangerous driving.road.cc Nov 2 (#1607); LBC Nov 2 (#1611); PA via Irish News Nov 2 (#1609); ITV Nov 2 (#1623); Local 12 wire (#1624). 18-month concurrent detail: road.cc only verified this run
- At trial (Oct 2026) his front-seat passenger, a relative, testified for the prosecution that he said 'He's under the car.' Passenger is an uncharged witness: do NOT name.road.cc Oct 30 (#1608); judge via road.cc Nov 2 (#1607); PA/ITV via search snippet
- Victim background: Michael Mullins, 56, headteacher of Stretford Grammar School for 17 years, father of two. School called him a 'compassionate leader'. Married 27 years (LBC; Irwin Mitchell per script notes).PA via Irish News Oct 30 (#1610); LBC Oct 14 + Nov 2 (#1612/#1611); CPS (#1606)
Also in our research file
- Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester (CC BY-SA 4.0) Primary recordWikimedia Commons
- GMP newsroom (blocked to scripts, 403) Primary recordGreater Manchester Police
- Motorist who dragged cyclist under car for more than a mile jailed for murder ReportingITV News · Nov. 2, 2026
- Killer motorist ... found guilty of murder Reportingroad.cc · Oct. 30, 2026
- Headteacher 'mowed down and dragged for more than a mile to his death' court hears ReportingITV News Granada · Oct. 13, 2026
- Man charged with murder of headteacher who was knocked off bike (PA) ReportingPA Media via V2 Radio · April 24, 2026
- Headteacher of Stretford school dies after bike crash ReportingLBC · April 21, 2026
- Tributes paid to Stretford Grammar headteacher who has died after being knocked off his bike ReportingGreatest Hits Radio Manchester · April 21, 2026
- Family pay tribute after head teacher dies in crash ReportingBBC News · April 21, 2026
- Manchester headteacher Michael Mullins car cyclist ReportingLBC
- Driver who dragged school principal under car for more than a mile gets sentenced SecondaryLocal 12 / Sinclair · Nov. 2, 2026
- Former Workington teacher killed in Manchester crash SecondaryCumbria Crack · April 22, 2026
Updates and corrections
Photos: GMP; CPS; Stretford Grammar School. Court photo: Bristol Filer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Simon Richardson was convicted by a jury on Oct. 30, 2026 and sentenced on Nov. 2, 2026. No one else has been charged; people arrested early in the investigation were not charged and are not named.
Spot an error? Email corrections@undercurrentdaily.com. See our corrections policy. Have information about this case? Contact the investigating agency first.
