A teenager who fatally assaulted a bus driver after being refused permission to travel because he was drunk has been sentenced to four years and four months in custody.
Keith Rollinson, 58, died of cardiac arrest following the assault in Elgin bus station on February 2 2024.
The attack on the former RAF employee began at about 10.30pm, after he refused to allow the teenager to board his bus due to his “noticeably intoxicated” condition.
The 16-year-old, who was 15 at the time of the incident and cannot be named for legal reasons, had spent the evening drinking with other youths in Elgin town centre, and had gone to the bus station on St Giles Road with the intention of catching the last bus home.
Floral tributes were left at the bus station after the death of driver Keith Rollinson (Alamy/PA)
Inverness High Court heard the youth argued with Mr Rollinson and apparently began filming him on his phone, and that when the driver grabbed the device, the teenager headbutted him and “rained punches on Mr Rollinson’s head and body”.
After initially appearing to be unharmed, Mr Rollinson collapsed after bending down to pick up his cap from the ground.
He was taken to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin but never regained consciousness, and was pronounced dead at 12.45am on February 3.
The teenager was quickly traced by police and was initially charged with murder, but later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of culpable homicide.
Passing sentence, judge Lady Hood said statements from Mr Rollinson’s family described him as “a true gentleman with a heart of gold and a wonderful husband and father”.
She said the family “have been shattered by their loss”, and that due to the circumstances of his death they had been unable to be with him when he died.
“Nothing said or done here today, and no sentence I can pass, will ever be enough to help Mr Rollinson’s family with their devastating loss,” the judge added.
Lady Hood told the youth “the harm which resulted from your actions is of the highest level”, and sentenced him to four years and four months in custody.
The teenager, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, showed no reaction as he was led from the courtroom.
Earlier the youth’s lawyer Shelagh McCall KC told the court the attack on Mr Rollinson “was not intended, nor was it foreseen by the accused”.
“The incident was precipitated by an action on the part of the deceased that appears to have been a trigger,” she said, referring to Mr Rollinson’s grabbing of the youth’s phone and then stamping on it.
She told the court this reduced her client’s level of culpability, but acknowledged that “the harm caused was of the highest level”.
Ms McCall also said her client understood the seriousness of his actions, and that he had shown “sincere remorse” for it.
At an earlier hearing advocate depute John Keenan KC told Edinburgh High Court the teen had been was “refused travel due to his intoxication”.
He had become “agitated and upset by this and argued with the deceased”, and “pointed his phone in the deceased’s face, apparently filming him”.
The advocate continued: “The deceased grabbed the phone, which then led to a physical struggle during which the accused headbutted the deceased.
“The struggle continued and the deceased threw the phone to the ground before stamping on it several times.
“At this, the accused completely lost control, raining punches on the deceased’s head and body. The deceased did not retaliate but tried to get away from the accused.”
Keith Rollinson died after being assaulted by the teenager after refusing him permission to board his bus (Police Scotland/PA)
He said a post-mortem examination found that Mr Rollinson had a pre-existing heart condition and was “at risk of a sudden fatal cardiac event at any time”.
He continued: “Most likely the physical altercation as a whole led to increased blood pressure, cardiac arrythmia (irregular heartbeat) followed by cardiac arrest.”
Detective Inspector Andrew Wilson said: “Mr Rollinson’s death was a tragedy which affected a number of people across Elgin and the wider Moray area. The thoughts of the entire policing team remain with his family, friends and colleagues who have suffered a devastating loss.
“No-one should expect to be the subject of violence while simply going about their job and today justice has been delivered with the conviction of the person responsible for this senseless act.
“While no outcome can undo what happened, I hope this guilty plea brings some measure of comfort to Keith’s family, friends, and colleagues.”
Chief Inspector Mike McKenzie, area commander for Moray, said: “Since Keith Rollinson’s death, we have been working closely with a range of partners to tackle youth disorder in Elgin, particularly around the bus station.
“This work will continue and are committed to working with partners to prevent and deter anti-social behaviour.”