Six-month sentence for youth after bus station violence

A 16-year-old thug is behind bars after assaulting three teenagers in the latest violence at Dunfermline bus station, branded a “no-go area for decent people” by a sheriff.

The Dunfermline youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was already banned from the town centre following an earlier assault, also at the bus station.

He was granted bail after that incident but was made subject to a curfew at a residential home. He was also ordered to stay out of Dunfermline town centre and not to consume alcohol.

However, he breached all three conditions after leaving the care home at night and not going back.

He was then involved in assaulting three youths at the bus station when apparently under the influence of alcohol.

He appeared from custody at Dunfermline Sheriff Court and admitted breaching the curfew conditions by not being within the care home at 1.15am on 27th June.

He also admitted that on 24th July at Dunfermline bus station in Queen Anne Street he assaulted a youth by punching him on the head to his injury.

He admitted assaulting another youth by striking him with a chair and repeatedly punching him on the head.

He admitted assaulting a third youth by striking him with a chair and attempting to punch him, to his injury.

He further admitted breaching the bail conditions not to consume alcohol and not to enter Dunfermline town centre.

Depute fiscal Azrah Yousaf said that when police carried out a curfew check it was discovered that the youth’s room was empty and he had placed pillows under the sheets to make it look like someone was in the bed.

After that the youth did not return to the home and he was missing until the incident at the bus station.

At 8pm three 16-year-old males were at the bus station when the youth approached them.

They did not know him and he seemed to be under the influence of alcohol, added the depute.

The youth then took a chair from inside the bus station building and threw it at the three friends.

The chair struck two of them. “They ran away to catch their bus and were pursued by the accused,” said Ms Yousaf.

One of the victims was punched several times and another was punched once to the face.

“When the accused calmed down he told them he was known to the police and they were looking for him,” the depute continued.

The victims later contacted the police and they eventually traced the youth at 2.35am in Carnock Road, Dunfermline.

Two of the victims received swollen lips during the assaults but none required medical treatment.

The previous assault took place at the bus station on 23rd June. The youth admitted that while acting with juveniles he punched a male on the head, causing him to fall to the ground, kicked and punched him on the head and body, causing him to roll under a safety barrier and fall on to the roadway and into the path of car, to his injury.

He also admitted that on the same day he assaulted a female at Canon Lynch Court by slapping her on the face.

Sheriff Charles MacNair was told the youth was no longer welcome back at the care home. A place for him had been found at a secure unit but defence solicitor Gordon Martin said the youth did not want to go there.

“He says they treat you like a baby there and he wants to be treated as an adult,” added Mr Martin.

Sheriff MacNair said he was considering imposing an anti-social behaviour order on the youth.

“It would stop him being part of groups of youths who are causing the quite appalling state of Dunfermline town centre at the moment,” said the sheriff.

He described the youth’s offences as “wholly unacceptable” adding, “This is just the sort of behaviour that is making parts of the town centre a no-go area for decent people.”

The youth was sent to the young offenders’ institution at Polmont for six months for his latest offences. Sentence was deferred on the previous assault until 8th November.