In 2021, Derek McNeill, a 52-year-old convicted child sex offender, was found guilty of child neglect and perverting the course of justice following the death of a 13-year-old boy.
Derek McNeill, of Edinburgh, was convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh under the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act for wilfully neglecting, exposing, and abandoning 13-year-old Blake Ross in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health. The court heard that in February 2017, McNeill approached the teenager, who had walked away from a care facility without his type 1 diabetes medication, and took him to his Edinburgh flat. McNeill concealed the child’s whereabouts for two days while family and law enforcement carried out a high-risk search operation.
During the stay, McNeill committed a sexual act in the child’s presence while the teenager’s health rapidly deteriorated. On 13 February 2017, McNeill placed the child on a public bus and left him abandoned. The teenager subsequently collapsed and died in the hospital shortly after being located. The court revealed McNeill’s extensive criminal history, which included previous convictions for attempted rape, indecent assault on an 11-year-old boy, and indecent exposure near a children’s play area. Judge and legal officers deferred sentencing to assess McNeill for an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR).
Following his convictions, McNeill was remanded in custody pending final sentencing assessment.
If made subject to an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR), he will face lifelong risk management, high-level public protection monitoring, and intensive supervision upon any eventual release.
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