The two-week trial at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court ended with 35-year-old former mechanic Simon Richardson being convicted of murder. Jurors heard that Richardson struck 56-year-old head teacher Michael Mullins as Mullins cycled home from work on the evening of 20 April. Passenger Gabrielle Debotte provided pivotal evidence after initially confiding in her nursery manager, later telling detectives that she shouted warnings repeatedly before Richardson ignored road signs and hit the victim without braking. Prosecutors established that Richardson chose to accelerate away from the Warburton junction while knowing Mullins was trapped beneath his vehicle.
Key points
The court convicted Richardson of murder because he accelerated away while knowing the vi…: The court convicted Richardson of murder because he accelerated away while knowing the victim was trapped beneath the car.
Debotte assisted detectives at Stretford Police Station after first confessing what happe…: Debotte assisted detectives at Stretford Police Station after first confessing what happened to her nursery manager.
Victim Michael Mullins was dragged beneath the vehicle for over a mile while cycling home…: Victim Michael Mullins was dragged beneath the vehicle for over a mile while cycling home from his job as a head teacher.
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Warning: This article contains distressing content
One afternoon in April, a children's nursery worker approached her manager in a what she described as an hysterical state.
Gabrielle Debotte said she had something serious to tell Nicola Goddard, adding: "You're going to hate me and I'm going to lose my job."
What the 27-year-old said next proved a turning point in the investigation into the death of popular head teacher Michael Mullins, who had been struck by a car the previous day and dragged under its wheels for more than a mile.
Debotte told the astonished Goddard she not only knew who was responsible for hitting the 56-year-old as he cycled home from work, but she witnessed what happened from the passenger seat.
That night, having initially been treated as a suspect, she sat in the interview suite at Stretford Police Station and named her cousin, 35-year-old former mechanic Simon Richardson, as the driver.
Thanks in part to the evidence provided by Debotte, Richardson was found guilty of murder after a two-week trial at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court.
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