A YOUTH has been detained for 10 months for his part in an assault in Dunfermline bus depot last year.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, used a knuckleduster to assault a Stagecoach employee then attacked another man who had stepped in to help.

He appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court on Wednesday alongside co-accused Danny Smith, 20, after admitting offences which took place at the St leonard's bus depot on October 28.

Both admitted while acting together, they assaulted the man by pushing him on the body, punching him on the head, uttering an offensive remark at him and punching him on the head whilst wearing a knuckleduster, to his injury. The offence was deemed to be racially-aggravated.

Smith, of Segal Place, Dunfermline, was ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work within nine months.

During the same incident, Smith also assaulted two police officers by repeatedly attempting to punch them on the head and body, struggling violently with them and spitting at them.

Smith also admitted a separate charge that he stole a quantity of alcohol on January 17 at Tesco, Winterthur Lane.

The unnamed youth also pleaded guilty to assaulting another another man and repeatedly punching him on the head whilst wearing a knuckleduster to his injury and admitted that, without reasonable excuse or lawful authority, he had an offensive weapon, namely a knuckleduster, with him.

Depute fiscal Louise Graham said a cleaner spotted the pair at around 9.15pm and they both appeared intoxicated.

She made a Stagecoach employee aware of this and he approached them and walked with them towards the exit in an attempt to get them to leave.

The victim was punched and called an English c*** and an English p**** by the two attackers, the court was told.

Another man saw what was happening and went to the victim's aid, however, the youth then swung punches at him with the knuckleduster, cutting his face.

Police were called and arrived as the two were walking away from the bus depot.

Smith began swinging his arms at the officers and struggled violently with them, spitting and attempting to punch them while they were attempting to arrest him.

Smith's solicitor, Selina Mackay, said her client had been drinking throughout the day with friends before meeting the co-accused and going to the supermarket to buy more alcohol. 

"From that point onwards, he remembers nothing about the incident but accepts full responsibility," she said.

"It is something that has been fuelled by alcohol. It is completely out of character for him.

"He is remorseful about his actions and and says it is the worst thing he has ever done. He appears to accept he does have a problem."

The youth's solicitor, Sarah Meehan, said the catalyst for her client's behaviour was also excessive consumption of alcohol.

"He had consumed such a significant quantity of alcohol he had little to no recollection of events," she told the court.

"He accepts the offences.

"He understands the court will have grave concerns that a young man is carrying such a weapon.

"He had concerns over his personal safety and that is why he had it in his possession.

"He appreciates now that if he had legitimate fears, the appropriate way to deal with that would be to contact the police."

Sheriff Craig McSherry told the youth that he didn't consider carrying a weapon was "worthy of anything other than a custodial sentence" and detained him for 10 months.

As well as placing Smith on the community payback order, he deferred sentence for the alcohol theft for six months for him to be of good behaviour.