The driver who murdered headteacher Michael Mullins after striking him with his car in Warburton, near Altrincham, has been jailed for life.
Simon Richardson, 35, was sentenced today and must serve a minimum of 25 years in prison. He has also been banned from driving for life.
He was found guilty of murder on Friday following a two-week trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.
The judge, Mrs Justice Brenner KC, told the court today: "You heard him moaning for many minutes and I am sure you knew you were dragging a man who you believed was conscious for four-and-a-half minutes.
"You drove at speed, performed manoeuvres that would cause injury and even though you knew the state he was in, you carried on."
Mr Mullins, 56, was cycling home from his job as headteacher at Stretford Grammar School on April 20 when Richardson failed to give way at a stop sign and struck him with his Volvo.
The father-of-two hit the bonnet and windscreen before becoming trapped underneath the vehicle.
Prosecutors said Richardson drove away from the scene in Paddock Lane despite knowing Mr Mullins was beneath the car.
The court heard he travelled around 1.3 miles to a farm track, where he twice tried unsuccessfully to pull Mr Mullins free.
Richardson then returned to the driver’s seat and swerved sharply from side to side in an attempt to dislodge him. After Mr Mullins came free, Richardson drove over him again while reversing before fleeing.
A motorcyclist who had followed a trail of blood found Mr Mullins on a grass verge. Emergency services were called, but he could not be saved.
Richardson changed vehicles in an attempt to evade capture and was arrested the following day after a short police pursuit.
The sentencing comes after Mr Mullins’s wife and children shared tributes to a man they described as their “anchor” and “everything”.
His wife said: “Michael is irreplaceable to family, friends and the school. There is no one quite like him with his myriad of unique qualities that combined to make him mean so much to so many people.
“I am, we are, completely bereft and adrift without our anchor, Michael Mullins.”
His son remembered a father who attended every rugby game and continued to offer encouragement throughout his adult life.
“Our last exchange of words together before he dropped me at the station was him reminding me of how proud he was of me,” he said.
His daughter recalled his love of music, learning to play the guitar and collecting his children from airports and concerts.
“I made a promise in those first days that I would live the rest of my life for my dad and give myself the life he had started to see me grow into and wanted for me,” she said.
Mr Mullins had led Stretford Grammar School for 17 years.
Speaking after Friday’s verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Louise Edwards praised his family’s courage throughout the trial and thanked those who searched for him and tried to help.
“To know that someone was with him helped to give his family a glimmer of comfort during this incredible tragedy,” she said.
She urged people to remember Michael as “a man who should have come home safe and sound to his family but will be remembered forever in the legacy he has left behind”.
