Killer hit man with car at excessive speed in murder outside Greenock school

A man has pleaded guilty to the murder of a father by hitting him with a car.

Richard Mullan admitted to a charge of killing Michael Beaton, 35, in Drumfrochar Road in Greenock, Inverclyde on November 26, 2023.

The indictment stated the 20-year-old drove a car with a “cloned” registration plate at excessive speed before hitting, what is described as, a “pedestrian crossing box”.

The car went on the pavement before being driven at Mr Beaton who was struck by the vehicle.

Mr Beaton was left so severely hurt that he later passed away at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow on the same date.

Mullan appeared in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow where his lawyer Brian McConnachie KC pleaded guilty on his behalf to the murder charge.

Lewis Wiggins, 23, had also faced the same accusation, but his not guilty plea was accepted by prosecutors.

Alexander McQuillan, 26, faces a separate murder charge involving Mr Beaton.

It is claimed, while Mr Beaton was lying on the ground following the incident involving Mullan, McQuillan repeatedly struck him on the head with a machete or similar weapon.

Among other allegations he faces is a charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

This includes a claim that he stole Mr Beaton’s motor, left it at a car park before changing his clothes.

McQuillan’s KC Angela Gray pleaded not guilty on his behalf.

McQullian will now face a trial in November 2025. Sentencing for Mullan was adjourned until then.