A teenager has admitted causing the death of a bus driver in an attack in which he head-butted his victim and “pelted him with punches”. Keith Rollinson, 58, died of cardiac arrest following the attack at the Elgin bus terminal 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 “visibly 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 evening drinking with other young people in Elgin town center and went to the bus stop on St Giles Road with the intention of doing so. Catching the last bus home.
The court heard he argued with the bus driver and apparently began recording him on his phone, and when the driver picked up the phone the teenager headbutted him before “raining punches” on Mr Rollinson’s head and body. Mr Rollinson, who initially appeared unharmed, collapsed after bending over to pick up his hat from the floor.
Dr. in Elgin He was taken to Gray Hospital but never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at 12.45am on 3 February. The teenager was quickly pursued by police and initially charged with murder, but later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. murder.
Solicitor depute John Keenan KC told the court: “The defendant attempted to board the bus but was refused travel because he was drunk. The defendant became agitated and upset by this and argued with the deceased, telling him it was illegal to refuse travel to someone under the age of 16 and he had no other way of getting home. The deceased “He turned off the engine of the bus, told the other passengers that he would not move until the defendant got off the bus, and proceeded towards the passenger lounge.”
He said the 15-year-old boy continued to argue with him and “pointed his phone at the deceased’s face, apparently filming him”. He continued: “The deceased grabbed the phone and this then led to a physical struggle where the defendant struck the deceased on the head.
“The struggle continued and the victim threw the phone to the ground and hit the ground several times. The suspect then completely lost control and rained punches on the victim’s head and body. The deceased did not retaliate but tried to get away from the defendant.”
Mr Keenan added: “The deceased initially appeared well but collapsed unconscious shortly after bending over to pick up his hat.”
He told the court a post-mortem examination revealed Mr Rollinson had a pre-existing heart condition and was “at risk of suffering a sudden fatal heart attack at any time”. He continued: “Most likely, the physical altercation as a whole led to increased blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and subsequent cardiac arrest.”
He added: “Given the close temporal relationship between the attack and the collapse, the events appear to be linked and, had the attack not occurred, he might not have died at that time.”
He also told the court the teenager had committed a number of previous offenses and was subject to a supervision order for a previous attack on a bus driver which ended just a few weeks before the attack on February 2. During the hearing, the footage of the incident recorded on the security cameras at the bus station was shown to the court, and the suspect left.
Shelagh McCall KC, who represented the young man, stated to the court that a report should be prepared in order for her client to be sentenced. He added: “I propose to reserve any mitigation measures until a report is available.”
Judge Lady Hood told the teenager: “I formally convict you on this plea” after the guilty plea was accepted by the crown.
He added: “You’ll need reports before we move on to sentencing. That’s why I’ll be requesting a criminal justice social work report.”
He said the sentencing hearing will be held in Inverness Superior Court on November 18, 2024. The young man, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, showed no reaction as he was taken out of the courtroom.
Detective Inspector Andrew Wilson said: “Mr Rollinson’s death was a tragedy that affected many people in the Elgin and Moray area. The thoughts of the entire police team are with his family, friends and colleagues who have suffered a devastating loss.
“No one should expect to be subjected to violence while doing their job, and today justice has been served with the conviction of those responsible for this senseless act. While no outcome can undo what happened, I hope this guilty plea brings some measure of solace 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 anti- with partners to prevent and deter prosocial behavior.”