Killer who dragged a headteacher a mile to his death was on BAIL and had an 'appalling' driving record
Dashcam footage of Simon Richardson's van at Wrigley Head, as his cousin Gabrielle Debotte — his front-seat passenger — was heard shouting 'bike' three times because he 'wasn't stopping'.Simon Richardson, in a custody photograph, had heard victim Michael Mullins "moaning for many minutes" before driving at speed for four-and-a-half minutes knowing he was conscious beneath the van.CCTV footage of a dark green Volvo XC90 driven by Simon Richardson, who had 28 previous convictions including drink driving and driving whilst disqualified before he murdered Michael Mullins on 20 April.Michael Mullins, headteacher of Stretford Grammar School, whose wife Sarah said her 'past, present, and future have been brutally and callously torn apart' by his murder.
Simon Richardson, 35, of no fixed address, was out on bail for assaulting an emergency worker when he struck Michael Mullins, 56, on Paddock Lane, Warburton on 20 April, dragging the headteacher more than a mile beneath his Volvo XC90 at speeds of up to 60mph. Mullins survived the initial collision but was run over in reverse after Richardson halted twice in attempts to dislodge him. Richardson had 28 previous convictions, among them drink-driving, driving while disqualified and failing to stop after a crash.
The judge told Richardson he showed an 'astonishing degree of disregard for human life', knowingly using his car as a weapon against a trapped, helpless man.
Mullins' widow Sarah said her 'past, present, and future have been brutally and callously torn apart'; his family branded Richardson a 'true coward not worthy of any place in society'.
Richardson was also found guilty of a dangerous driving offence committed the day AFTER the murder, and remained before the courts on charges of affray, assault causing actual bodily harm and cocaine possession.
