A teenager admits to fatally assaulting the driver after he was unable to get on the bus

A teenager has admitted causing the death of a bus driver in an assault that saw him headbutt and “rain blows” on his victim.

Keith Rollinson, 58, died of cardiac arrest following the assault at Elgin bus station on February 2, 2024.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard on Friday that the attack began at around 10.30pm after Mr Rollinson refused to allow the teenager to board his bus due to his “significantly intoxicated” state.

The 16-year-old, who was 15 at the time of the incident and cannot be named for legal reasons, had spent the night drinking with other youths in Elgin town center and had gone to the station buses from St Giles Road with the intention of catching the last bus home.

The court heard that he argued with the bus driver and apparently began filming him on his phone and that when the driver took the phone the teenager head-butted him, before of “raining blows” on Mr Rollinson’s head and body.

After initially appearing unhurt, Rollinson collapsed after bending down to pick up the cap from the floor.

He was taken to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin but never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at 12.45am on February 3.

Police quickly tracked down the teenager and he was initially charged with murder, but later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated manslaughter.

Solicitor depute John Keenan KC told the court: “The defendant attempted to board the bus but was refused travel due to his intoxication.

“The defendant was agitated and upset about this and argued with the deceased, telling him that it was illegal to refuse travel to a child under 16 and that he had no other way of getting home.

“The deceased switched off the engine of the bus, told the other passengers not to move until the accused got off the bus and went into the hall.”

He explained that the 15-year-old continued to argue with him and “pointed his phone at the deceased’s face, apparently filming him”.

He continued: “The deceased grabbed the phone which led to a physical struggle during which the accused head butted the deceased.

“The struggle continued and the deceased threw the phone on the ground before hitting him several times.

“In this case, the accused completely lost control, raining punches on the head and body of the deceased. The deceased did not retaliate but tried to get away from the accused.”

Mr Keenan added: “At first the deceased appeared to be fine, but shortly after bending down to pick up his cap, he fell to the ground unconscious.”

He told the court a post mortem found 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.”

He added: “Given the close temporal relationship between the assault and the collapse, the events appear to be linked and, had it not been for the assault, he may not have died when he did.”

He also told the court the teenager had a string of previous offenses and had been on a supervision order for a previous assault on a bus driver which ended just weeks before the assault on February 2 .

Members of Mr Rollinson’s family who were present at the hearing left as the court was shown footage of the incident, which had been captured on CCTV cameras at the bus station.

Shelagh McCall KC, representing the teenager, told the court a report would have to be made before her client could be sentenced.

He added: “I propose to reserve any mitigation until a report is available.”

Judge Lady Hood told the teenager that because his guilty plea had been accepted by the crown, “I formally sentence you on the terms of this plea.”

He added: “You will require reports before we proceed to sentencing. I will therefore be requesting a criminal justice social work report.”

He said a sentencing hearing would take place at Inverness High Court on November 18, 2024.

The teenager, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, showed no reaction as he was led from the courtroom.

Detective Inspector Andrew Wilson said: “Mr Rollinson’s death was a tragedy which affected many 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 subject of violence while 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 brings 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 been working closely with a range of partners to tackle youth disorder in Elgin, particularly around the bus station.

“This work will continue and we are committed to working with partners to prevent and deter anti-social behaviour.”