A teenage boy who killed a Stagecoach bus driver who refused to let him onboard a service in Elgin has been sentenced to four years and four months in custody.
Keith Rollinson, 58, died following the incident at the bus station in the Moray town in February. Mr Rollinson passed away in hospital after succumbing to his injuries and suffering a cardiac arrest.
The 16-year-old boy, who was 15 at the time, was originally charged with murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of culpable homicide. He launched the violent attack on the father after the teenager was refused onboard the service because he was too drunk.
Mr Rollinson asked passengers to leave the bus whilst he sought help from his colleagues on how to deal with the youngster. But the youth launched a vicious assault on the married former RAF man, repeatedly punching him on the head and body.
The boy was sentenced to four years and four months in custody at the High Court in Inverness on Monday. Judge Lady Hood told the teenager there was no alternative to detention.
Speaking after sentencing, a spokesperson for Stagecoach North Scotland said: “Throughout recent legal proceedings, our thoughts have been with the family and friends of our driver who sadly passed away, and we have worked closely with police throughout their investigation.” We are committed to ensuring a safe environment for all our passengers and drivers, and we recognise that incidents of antisocial behaviour at Elgin bus station have raised concerns within the community. In response, we have been actively working with the Community Safety Team at Moray Council to address issues and improve the overall experience for our customers and staff alike.”
It comes after 83 per cent of bus drivers in Scotland revealed they had been subjected to abuse at work. A survey conducted by Unite the Union, which involved 1,100 drivers, said the number of instances of abuse at work increased in the last 12 months.
More than half said they didn’t feel safe at work while 85 per cent said they believe abuse and violence is now ‘just part of the job’.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Urgent measures must be taken to address the staggering level of abuse being suffered by bus drivers. In no way is this acceptable. Unite members will not tolerate abuse any longer. The Scottish Government has to step up and step in to ensure our members feel safe at work. A do nothing response is not an option. Unite is working with its members to explore all options to ensure endemic workplace abuse is tackled in the workplace.”
Unite Scottish secretary Derek Thomson said: “A public transport safety summit involving all key stakeholders needs to happen as a first step. This is a national public safety issue affecting drivers and passengers. We need legislation, without delay, which addresses this wave of anti-social behaviour and violence towards bus workers because as each day passes drivers are being put at risk.”
Former Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said efforts to tackle the issue of violence and disorder onboard bus services should be addressed by revoking travel passes from youths who are caught offending on public transport.
Reacting to sentencing on Monday MacAskill said: “It is a tragedy for the family who have lost their loved one. It’s also a tragedy for the young man who is going to face a significant period of his formative years in custody. But that has to be for what he has done.
“There is a wider issue for disruption on the buses by a minority of young people and it has to be addressed for the safety of staff, the security of citizens and for the protection of other youngsters who want to enjoy access to travel without being bullied or threatened by thuggery.
“The government must look at withdrawing free passes – even for a very short period of time – to ground some youngsters who are disruptive and who have forfeited that right. It cannot be beyond the width of IT experts to find a way around the problem that allows them continued aspects to other benefits while taking away their free travel.”
A spokesperson for Transport Scotland said: “We have the greatest sympathy for bus drivers who are at the sharp end of antisocial behaviour from a small minority of bus passengers. Everyone should be able to go to their work without fear of abuse. That’s why the Cabinet Secretary for Transport met Unite representatives last month to discuss the safety of bus drivers and confirmed that she is committed to ensuring a full range of options are available to support the police, local authorities and bus operators to tackle this issue.
“The vast majority of passengers travelling by bus behave appropriately, including people of all ages using their free bus entitlement to travel. None of this would be possible without bus drivers keeping communities connected. However, there is a minority of people, of all ages, who abuse their entitlement, including to commit offences, and which can result in serious harm to bus employees and passengers. That is simply not acceptable.
“Bus operators can already restrict access to their services in line with their own conditions of carriage and we are working with operators, unions and other stakeholders, to develop further sanctions and preventative measures. This includes development of a new behaviour code for passengers and a process for temporary suspension of concessionary travel cards.”
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