A Fife teenager dragged a driver off a bus by his tie and threw him to the ground, before kicking him during a vicious assault.
David Irwin launched the savage attack after the driver told him to leave a bus on which he was causing trouble at Dunfermline bus station
His victim ended up in hospital with a calf injury, which medics said would take up to eight weeks to heal.
Irwin was just 16 when he committed his crime, in January 2021.
Now 18, Irwin appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court, where fiscal depute Christine Allan described his offences.
She said he had been at the bus station with friends when he started kicking the stance sign near the bus and “jumping on and off” the vehicle.
The driver shouted at Irwin to get off the bus and the teenager became aggressive and shouted back and threatened him, the court heard.
Ms Allan said: “The witness got out the cabin to encourage the accused to leave the bus and the accused approached the witness and grabbed him by the tie and dragged him off the bus, throwing him to the ground using his tie and when lying on the ground, kicked him.
“As others came to the bus driver’s aid the accused ran off.
“It was discovered at hospital.. the witness had a knee injury in which the calf muscle would take six to eight weeks to heal”.
Irwin was traced and charged days later.
Drugs possession
At an earlier court hearing, he pled guilty to assaulting the bus driver to his injury and to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and uttering threats.
He also previously admitted two charges of being in possession of cocaine (0.1g) and MDMA (3.02g) at his home in Dunfermline‘s Halkett Crescent on May 12 this year.
Defence lawyer Elaine Buist stressed Irwin’s age at the time of the assault and that he accepts drinking too much alcohol.
Ms Buist said the class A drugs were found on him at home when police came to arrest him on another matter.
Sheriff Francis Gill told Irwin the assault was “shocking and unacceptable”.
The sheriff gave him a structured deferred sentence for four months.
When Irwin returns to court on December 6 an updated report will be provided and the sheriff will consider whether a compensation order should be made in respect of the bus driver.
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