Overview
- Under questioning at Holyrood’s transport committee, Connectivity Minister Jim Fairlie declined to discuss the individual case and said he could give no guarantees.
- Fairlie described continued questioning about the case as inappropriate and disrespectful, emphasizing that he would not address specific offenders.
- The SNP-backed secondary legislation would allow free bus passes to be withdrawn for under‑22s for anti‑social behaviour that occurs on buses, not in bus stations or nearby areas.
- Opposition MSPs condemned the response, with Douglas Lumsden and Monica Lennon calling the minister’s stance shameful and an insult to the late driver’s memory.
- Keith Rollinson, 58, died after a 2024 assault in Elgin; the attacker, then 15, admitted culpable homicide, received a sentence of four years and four months, and reports say he could be released within weeks.