Teenager who killed bus driver 'rained punches' on victim

A teenage boy has admitted killing a bus driver in Elgin by headbutting and "raining punches" on him, a court heard.

Keith Rollinson, 58, died of a cardiac arrest at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin, Moray, following the incident at the bus station in the St Giles Road area in February.

The 16-year-old boy was 15 at the time, and cannot be named due to his age.

The High Court in Edinburgh was told married father Mr Rollinson had collapsed following the assault and never regained consciousness.

The boy was originally charged with murder but pled guilty to the lesser charge of culpable homicide.

He will be sentenced at the High Court in Inverness on 18 November.

The court was told the boy had previously been reported to the police for assaulting another bus driver.

A supervision order for that offence had been terminated three weeks before the fatal assault on Mr Rollinson.

The court was told that the boy was part of a group of youths who had been drinking heavily that evening.

The accused and another youth had gone to the bus station to get the last bus home.

The court heard that Mr Rollinson had told the boy he was too intoxicated to board the bus, which had upset him.

Mr Rollinson switched off the bus engine and told the other passengers he would not be leaving until the boy got off the bus.

Mr Rollinson had asked a colleague for help with the situation.

On returning to the concourse, the boy pointed his phone in Mr Rollinson's face, leading to the driver grabbing the phone.

This led to a struggle between the pair, during which the boy headbutted the driver.

The court heard that the boy had then "completely lost control", raining punches on Mr Rollinson's head and body, before being pulled away by another youth.

Mr Rollinson tried to get away from the boy, and appeared to be fine.

However, after bending over to pick up his cap, he collapsed and never regained consciousness.

The court heard a taxi driver overheard the boy discussing the incident as he was driving him home.

The boy later called one of his friends, crying and upset, saying he had hit the driver and he "wasn't waking up".

After his arrest, police said the boy had "displayed an air of arrogance" and "did not appear to appreciate the severity of the situation".

He had made unsolicited comments that he had acted in self-defence and had "prayed to God the deceased would be all right".

A subsequent post-mortem on Mr Rollinson revealed he had significant heart disease and would have most likely been "at risk of a sudden cardiac arrest at any time".

The pathologist noted that the physical altercation led to increased blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, followed by a cardiac arrest.

The post-mortem concluded: "Given the close temporal relationship between the assault and collapse, the events appear linked.

"Had it not been for the assault he may not have died when he did."

Keith Rollinson's family said in a statement at the time: "The kindest, dedicated and loving husband and father was taken from us.

"Our world has been shattered - I cannot see us ever getting over our loss of our rock."

Stagecoach North Scotland expressed shock and sadness at the death of one of its drivers.

And the Unite union called for "stronger legal protection" for bus drivers.

General secretary Sharon Graham said the news had "shaken our union to its core".

She added: "The stark reality is that bus drivers regularly and routinely confront dangerous incidents.

"It has become an intolerable occupational hazard for bus drivers on a daily basis, especially for those working late at night and in remote areas."

Chf Insp 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."