Russell Findlay: Young violent offenders should not be given free rein to commit crimes

Once again Scotland’s criminal justice system is in the dock with another innocent life violently snuffed out and a grieving family crushed and confused by the ordeal that followed.

Those who read Susan Rollinson’s words in this newspaper will naturally empathize with her loss, but they will surely also share her anger towards a judicial process that panders to the rights and interests of criminals; in this tragic case, the violent thug who killed her beloved husband.

Keith Rollinson, who previously served his country in the RAF, was a much-loved husband and father and a respected member of his community.

When he left home for his shift as a Stagecoach bus driver one night nine months ago, he never returned.

A 15-year-old boy who had boarded Keith’s bus in Elgin was too drunk to ride but refused to get off.

A confrontation ensued before the passenger launched a “frenzied attack”, headbutting Keith, 58, and inflicting a flurry of punches to his head and body.

Keith never regained consciousness and died in hospital. The young drunk who killed him was known to the police, as he had previously attacked another bus driver who was simply trying to earn a wage.

The young man, now aged 16 and whose identity remains legally protected from public disclosure, was charged with murder by Police Scotland.

Russell Findlay has demanded the SNP stop giving young thugs a “free pass to commit crimes”.

However, his lawyers reached a deal with Crown Office prosecutors that allowed the young man to plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

And while Judge Lady Hood is right to say that no sentence would compensate for the loss suffered by Keith’s family, it is not surprising that she was shocked and dismayed at the imposition of a prison sentence of just four years and four months, and her anger at the possibility of this being reduced on appeal.

Not that the killer will spend a single night in prison because of a new SNP law that prohibits locking up anyone under 18 in a young offenders’ institution.

Instead, they are now placed in “secure accommodations.”

This move away from incarceration of even the most violent and dangerous young offenders is just one of many profound changes made to Scotland’s justice system in recent years.

In 2022, bailiffs and judges were told they should only jail anyone under the age of 25 if they did not consider another sentence appropriate.

This ruling was introduced by the Scottish Sentencing Council, an unelected quango set up by the SNP government and which operates free of parliamentary scrutiny and accountability.

My party not only voted against the SNP’s no-incarceration for violent under-18s, but is also leading calls to scrap the ridiculous under-25 guidelines and for urgent reform of the sentencing council so victims have a meaningful voice in their work.

Findlay leads calls to scrap SNP’s ‘ridiculous’ under-25 sentencing guidelines

No one wants to unduly criminalize youth misdeeds.

Efforts must be made to understand rebellious adolescent behavior, and those whose lives lack support and structure deserve understanding, not a harshly punitive approach.

But the soft-touch social experiment that SNP politicians are imposing on the people of Scotland comes at a price.

And that price is that many violent, angry, dangerous young people have been taught that their actions have no consequences.

Without fear of punishment, where is the deterrent? There is also evidence of the impact of the SNP’s soft approach towards bus drivers, like Keith.

Two years ago, the Nationalist government decided to offer free bus travel to everyone under 22 in Scotland.

Most young people appreciate this benefit and use it responsibly, but many others do not.

Almost immediately after its introduction in 2022, there were reports of an increase in anti-social behavior on buses and of young people using bus journeys to commit crimes such as shoplifting.

The Unite union says abuse against its bus driving members has reached “historic levels” and more than half no longer feel safe at work.

On numerous occasions, along with many Conservative colleagues, I have raised the link between free bus travel and crime, demanding that those who abuse it lose it.

After a sustained Scottish Conservative campaign, this week our transport spokesperson Sue Webber scored a victory for common sense by forcing the SNP to announce a “new code of conduct” linked to bus passes for under-22s.

This must be done quickly and must be effective, not just another SNP PR stunt.

But whatever that means in practice, it comes too late for Keith.

In her memory, and for the sake of Susan and her family, John Swinney should not only stop offering free bus rides to dangerous young thugs, he should also stop giving them a free pass to commit crimes.