Elgin duo attacked bus driver in Buckie after being told off

A man and a woman attacked a bus driver in broad daylight after being told off for pressing the vehicle’s buzzer too often.

Dean Wells of Kingsmills, Elgin, and first offender Chloe Ross, of Chesworth Gardens, also Elgin, appeared for sentencing at Inverness Sheriff Court.

Wells had previously admitted assault and robbery and threatening behaviour while Ross pleaded guilty to an assault.

However, Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald, who had already deferred sentence for background report, did so again - until February 17, 2025.

A report had been done on Wells but his lawyer, Ian Jane, asked the Sheriff to defer sentence to the same date as Ross for a drug treatment and testing order assessment to be carried out on his client.

He asked that Wells be released on bail. Sheriff Macdonald released Wells on bail and allowed Ross' bail to continue.

At the earlier hearing, the court was told that 32-year-old Dean Wells grabbed the Stagecoach employee by the throat on the afternoon of July 14 this year after his companion, 24-year-old Chloe Ross had squirted blue liquid in the driver's face.

The assault occurred in Great Eastern Road, Buckie, in the view of other shocked passengers on board.

Fiscal depute Emily Hood told Sheriff Macdonald: "As the bus approached the stop, again the buzzer went off and Ross charged down the front of the bus and approached the cab.

“She then shouted back to Wells 'he's phoning the polis’.

"The driver then exited the bus and stood on the pavement.”

It was then that Ross squirted the liquid as he got back on the bus.

Ms Hood added: "Wells was heard to shout 'give us our f***ing money back then' and made various threats to assault the driver and another member of the public who was trying to assist him.

"Wells then reached into the front cab and managed to remove a £10 note from the drawer as the driver tried to stop him. However, Wells grabbed hold of his throat.

"The incident was captured on CCTV from within the bus. Both then fled on foot and the driver contacted the police."

Ms Hood added that, later that day, police traced both accused, they were arrested and taken to Elgin Police Station.

"But while in the custody suite, two detective constables attended Wells' cell to obtain DNA and he immediately became hostile and aggressive, adopted a fighting stance whilst clenching his fists but was fended off and restrained." Ms Hood continued.