A teenage thug, who attacked a bus driver by pulling him from the vehicle and kicking him, has been sentenced to unpaid work.

The driver was injured in the unprovoked assault at Dunfermline bus station and unable to work for weeks afterwards.

His attacker David Irwin was aged 16 at the time and appeared for sentencing from custody at Dunfermline Sheriff Court. Irwin, of Halkett Crescent, is now 19.

He previously admitted that on January 15, 2021 at Dunfermline bus station, Queen Anne Street, he assaulted a bus driver by seizing him by the clothing, dragging him from a bus, throwing him to the ground and kicking him on the body to his injury.

He also admitted acting aggressively, shouting, swearing and making threats.

He further admitted that on May 12 last year at Halkett Crescent he was in possession of controlled drugs, cocaine and ecstasy.

Irwin was originally put on a structured deferred sentence but failed to engage. He was then due to return to court to be sentenced again in February but did not turn up.

Depute fiscal Catherine Stevenson said Irwin was with friends at the bus station at around 8.30pm. Passengers were getting off a bus with the driver still in his cabin.

Irwin approached the bus and started jumping on and off it. The driver told him to get off and Irwin became aggressive, was shouting and making threats. He grabbed the driver by the tie and pulled him, causing him to stumble and he was then dragged off the bus by Irwin.

The driver fell to the ground and was kicked by Irwin before onlookers intervened and the youth ran off.

The driver sustained injuries to his knee and calf which prevented him from working for around eight weeks.

Defence solicitor Shona Westwood said: “He’s regretful of what happened. He was drunk at the time. He’s willing to do anything to avoid custody.”

At the original sentencing, Sheriff Francis Gill described Irwin’s behaviour as “shocking and unacceptable” before imposing a structured deferred sentence.

At the latest hearing, Sheriff Krista Johnston described the conduct as “terrible” but said she would give Irwin “another chance”.

She imposed a community payback order with 120 hours of unpaid work. Sentencing was deferred on the drugs offences until June 7.