Simon Richardson sentenced to life with minimum 25 years for murdering Michael Mullins
Simon Richardson has been sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to life in prison with a minimum term of 25 years for murdering headteacher Michael Mullins.
How it was covered
- Sky News was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on the life sentence, the judge's criticism and the dragging of the victim.
- Channel 5, BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News and ITV: not found in tracked broadcasts.
- BBC News: covered online, not found on air.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Sky News reported that Simon Richardson had been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 25 years for murdering headteacher Michael Mullins. The sentence was passed at Manchester Crown Court.
The channel said Mr Mullins was cycling home from Stretford Grammar School in Manchester in April when Richardson's car hit him. It reported that the car dragged him more than two kilometres along the road, leaving a trail of blood behind. Richardson, 35, had been found guilty of murder the previous week.
Sky News reported that the judge said Richardson had shown an astonishing degree of disregard for human life. It quoted the judge as saying that, for every moment Richardson carried on, he was knowingly using his huge and heavy vehicle to cause serious injury to a man who was trapped, injured and completely helpless.
Sky News also described footage of the car on Wetgate Lane, swerving from side to side, mounting the bank and reversing while Mr Mullins was under it. The channel reported that Richardson was also due to be sentenced for dangerous driving relating to a police pursuit the day after the incident.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Richardson drove on with Mullins trapped under his car, dragging him more than two kilometres in April. | |
| Richardson received a life sentence with a minimum term of 25 years at Manchester Crown Court for murder. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News treated the sentencing as a breaking court story, first reporting the life sentence with a 25-year minimum and later recapping the case in its evening bulletin. Its coverage stressed the judge's criticism of Richardson and the distressing detail that Mr Mullins was dragged more than two kilometres under the car. As the only channel in the sample, it provided the sole account of the sentencing and the case background.
- “Simon Richardson sentenced to life with a minimum term of 25 years for the murder of Michael Mullins.”
- “The judge said Richardson had shown an astonishing degree of disregard for human life.”
- “For every moment that you carried on, you were knowingly using your huge and heavy vehicle to cause serious injury to a man who was trapped, injured and completely helpless as a result of your actions.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.