Teen who killed bus driver sentenced to four years

A teenager who fatally attacked a bus driver after being refused permission to travel because he was drunk has been jailed for four years and four months.

Keith Rollinson, 58, died of cardiac arrest after the Elgin bus station attack on February 2, 2024.

The attack on the former RAF officer began at around 10.30pm after he refused to let the teenager board his bus due to his “noticeably drunk” state.

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 city center and had gone with police to the bus station at St. Giles Road. planning to take the last bus home.

Inverness High Court heard the young man argued with Mr Rollinson and apparently started filming him with his phone. 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 unhurt, Mr Rollinson collapsed after bending over to pick up his cap from the ground.

He was taken to Dr. Gray’s Hospital, Elgin, but never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at 12:45 PM on February 3.

The teenager was quickly tracked down by police and 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 was “shattered by their loss,” and that due to the circumstances of his death, they were unable to be with him when he died.

“Nothing said or done here today, and no sentence I can impose, will ever be enough to help Mr. Rollinson’s family with their devastating loss,” the judge added.

Lady Hood told the boy that “the harm resulting from your actions is of the highest level,” and sentenced him to four years and four months in prison.

The teen, wearing a white shirt and black pants, did not respond as he was led out of the courtroom.

Earlier, youth barrister Shelagh McCall KC told the court that the attack on Mr Rollinson was “neither intended nor anticipated by the suspect”.

“The incident was caused by an action on the part of the deceased which appears to have been a trigger,” she said, referring to Mr Rollinson grabbing the boy’s phone and then stomping 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 had shown “genuine remorse” for them.

At an earlier hearing, deputy barrister John Keenan KC told the Edinburgh High Court that the teenager had been “denied travel due to his intoxication”.

He had become “agitated and upset by this and had argued with the deceased”, and “pointed his phone at the deceased’s face and apparently filmed him”.

The lawyer continued: “The deceased grabbed the phone, which then led to a physical struggle during which the suspect headbutted the deceased.

“The struggle continued and the deceased threw the phone to the ground before stamping on it several times.

“The suspect then completely lost control, causing blows to the deceased’s head and body. The deceased did not take revenge but tried to get away from the suspect.”

He said a post-mortem examination showed 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 resulted in increased blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) followed by cardiac arrest.”

Detective Inspector Andrew Wilson said: “Mr Rollinson’s death was a tragedy which affected a number of people in Elgin and the wider Moray area. The thoughts of the entire police team remain with his family, friends and colleagues who have suffered a devastating loss.

“No one should expect to be the victim of violence while simply doing their job, and today justice has been served with the conviction of the person responsible for this senseless act.

“While no outcome can undo what happened, I hope this guilty plea provides some comfort to Keith’s family, friends and colleagues.”

Chief Inspector Mike McKenzie, Moray Area Commander, said: “Since the death of Keith Rollinson we have worked closely with a range of partners to tackle youth disorder in Elgin, particularly around the bus station.

“This work will continue and we are keen to work with partners to prevent and discourage anti-social behaviour.”

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