A violent teenager who brutally attacked and killed a bus driver will serve his sentence in a community unit complete with a swimming pool and fitness suite.
Reigniting the debate around the SNP’s ‘soft touch’ approach to justice, the Mail on Sunday can reveal that the lout – who pled guilty to the culpable homicide of Keith Rollinson, 58 – will be able to enjoy luxury amenities rather than being locked up in jail.
The 16-year-old is living in a small ‘well-furnished’ house with a pool table and a courtyard garden suitable for ‘al fresco dining’ on the outskirts of Paisley.
Residents at the Kibble charity’s ‘secure unit’ also enjoy visits from therapy pets and take part in KFC-themed food nights.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has avoided traditional incarceration due to SNP laws that came into force last year.
These laws ban anyone under the age of 18 – no matter what crime they have committed – from being sent to a young offenders institution.
Already, the killer has been handed down a dramatically shortened sentence of just four years and four months due to the Nationalists’ sentencing guidelines for those under the age of 25.
Last night Mr Rollinson’s wife Susan, 62, said she understood that there was a need to rehabilitate offenders, but added there needed to be punishment for those who kill.
Bus driver Keith Rollinson, 58, was attacked and killed by a violent teenager in February.
The indoor swimming pool at the secure care unit in Paisley boasts floats and football goals.
A lounge area softly lit by table lamps is equipped with comfortable seating and pool table.
Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, she said: ‘It will be like going to a five-star hotel for him.
‘He would have to pay for access to a swimming pool or the gym if he hadn’t killed my husband, but he will have all that on tap there. It is not fair.
‘He is getting no punishment or consequences for his actions whatsoever. He attacked and killed Keith and he has ended up in a better place than he was before.
‘What is that teaching him? The SNP has this softly, softly approach, but I’m sorry, if you do a crime, you do the time.’
‘He was old enough to kill someone, he is old enough to do the time,’ she added.
Mr Rollinson, a father of two and former RAF electrical engineer, died in hospital following the assault by the teenager at a bus station in Elgin in Moray in February last year.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how an argument broke out after Mr Rollinson refused to allow the drunken teen on his bus.
The boy, who was 15 at the time, is said to have ‘completely lost control’ and began to rain punches down on Mr Rollinson.
Although the Thurso-born bus driver at first appeared unharmed by the brutal attack, he collapsed after bending down to pick his hat off the ground and was taken to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin.
He died in the early hours of February 3.
In November, the teenager pled guilty to culpable homicide and was sentenced to four years and four months.
Kibble in Paisley is a far cry from a prison as it claims to offer a therapeutic environment.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has said killers must face consequences.
The short sentence was imposed because he had submitted an early guilty plea but also because he was aged under 25 at the time of his conviction, making him subject to guidelines brought in by the Scottish Sentencing Council which was set up by the SNP Government in 2022.
Yet, rather than face prison time, he has now been sent to the ‘therapeutic’ secure care unit in Paisley run by the Kibble charity.
The decision to send him there is due to another set of SNP rules, brought in last year, which prevent offenders under the age of 18 going to prison, even if they have killed someone.
As of August 28, the SNP stipulated there must be no new admissions of children under 18 to young offenders institutions.
With expansive grounds and well-kept lawns, Kibble is a far cry from a traditional prison with high gates, cells and patrolling guards.
Instead, the unit offers a ‘nurturing environment’ for those up to the age of 18.
They are placed in one of three houses – Barra, Jura and Islay, named after the Hebridean islands.
Each unit holds up to six people and boasts ‘comfortable living areas’ and ‘dining kitchens’.
Images show sitting rooms decked out with leather furnishings, throw cushions and tartan wallpaper.
Carved wooden items proclaiming messages such as ‘Love’ are softly lit by table lamps.
Spacious en-suite bedrooms are decorated to the residents’ taste, in line with safety guidelines, allowing them to choose their own duvet covers and adorn the walls with artwork.
The young people also have access to an indoor swimming pool, complete with floats and goals for entertainment, as well as a fully-equipped gym.
A sports field which has recently been resurfaced ‘at the request of young people’ stands adjacent to a ‘horticulture and garden space’.
Meanwhile, a games room features a pool table while an outdoor courtyard can be used for ‘al-fresco dining’, according to centre staff.
A sample menu shows the young people can enjoy steak baguettes and KFC-themed nights.
In one promotional video, the director of the Kibble unit, Sinclair Soutar, said it was a place for people to feel loved.
Mr Soutar said: ‘The safe centre is a place of safety for young people but we also want it to be somewhere where young people feel loved, it’s welcoming, it’s nurturing – we’re forever striving to try and make it the best possible environment so young people are feeling at ease, they’re feeling comfortable.’
However, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Russell Findlay, said last night that killers must face consequences.
He said: ‘Criminals who take someone’s life or inflict harm must face consequences.’
Mr Findlay added: ‘While we all want to save young people from descending into a wasted life of crime, the soft-touch approach of the SNP fails victims and their surviving relatives.
‘Their relentless weakening of Scotland’s justice system also risks trivialising serious crime and harming public confidence.’
A spokesman for Kibble declined to comment.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: ‘Our sympathies remain with the family of Keith Rollinson.
‘Secure care offers the most intensive and restrictive form of care in Scotland.
‘A young person is deprived of their liberty in a locked environment alongside the provision of care, support and education.
‘The new regulations came into force on August 28, 2024, and as of that date, there will be no new admissions of children under 18 to Young Offenders Institutions.
‘This ensures children in conflict with the law are placed in safe, suitable accommodation while keeping communities safe.’
