A MAN who neglected three school children has given up on life, a court has heard.

Derek Carrick, 46, was stuck on the approach to the Erskine Bridge when police went to assist. But they then discovered he was under the influence of cannabis.

When he returned to Dumbarton Sheriff Court on June 17 for sentencing, social workers and his lawyer reported he “cared about very little else” since his earlier conviction.

In October 2018, the former resident of Knightswood, was sentenced to two years of social work supervision and 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.

He was convicted by a jury of wilful neglect and ill-treatment between February 2011 and October 2013. 

Carrick allowed the children to get so hungry that one was forced to eat cat food. 

His home was filthy and smelly, with cat litter overflowing and dirty dishes everywhere while the children were in his care. A bedroom had a cardboard box over part of the window and there were bits of toast lying around.

Carrick also had a conviction for lewd and libidinous practices toward children in 1997.

Then around 5.30pm on October 6, 2021, Carrick was on the A82 Old Kilpatrick at the junction with the Erskine Bridge eastbound.

Police were on the A82 and saw a broken down car in lane one and went to provide assistance.

The clutch had gone on the car and while engaging with Carrick, it became apparent he was under the influence.

He tested as having 4.1mg per litre of blood of delta-9-THC, twice the allowable limit of the cannabis ingredient.

Carrick, now of Elizabeth Street, Glasgow, also admitted to not having a valid MoT certificate.

At court last week, Carrick’s defence solicitor said her client had a history of non-analogous road traffic offending, but following his last disqualification, he got his licence back. 

He had smoked eight hours earlier and thought he was OK to drive.

She said: “The impression from the [social work] report is he doesn’t care.”

The lawyer said there had been a great deal of media attention from the previous case and it was a “difficult period” where “he was subject to both physical and verbal abuse”.
“He has cared about very little else since,” she said.

Sheriff John Hamilton said Carrick’s “minimalistic attitude to life” was apparent. He added: “It’s like an existentialist French novel.”

Sheriff Hamilton imposed a community payback order with 100 hours of unpaid work in the community to be completed in a year.

He was also banned from driving for 12 months and his licence was endorsed as a direct alternative to custody.