“Michael was my safety net,” said Sarah Mullins as she described the loss of her husband, a head teacher who was murdered while cycling home from work.
Michael Mullins, 56, loved music, was learning to play the guitar and would collect his daughter and her friends from concerts to make sure they got home safely.
Colleagues said he had transformed Stretford Grammar School in Trafford, Greater Manchester, after becoming head teacher in 2009, when it was in special measures, and that his death had left “a void at every level”.
The tributes were heard at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court as Simon Richardson, 35, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years for murdering Mr Mullins on 20 April.
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Richardson struck Mr Mullins with his car in Warburton, Greater Manchester, before driving for more than a mile with the injured cyclist trapped underneath.
Sarah described the many roles her husband had played in family life.
“Michael was a cook, chauffeur, finance expert, quick to laugh and generous with time and money,” she told Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.
“My past, present, and future have been brutally and callously torn apart.”