Aidan Pilkington was enjoying a night out with school friends. It was September 11, 2021, and the following week he was due to commence the most exciting chapter of his life having earned a place to study politics at Dundee University on the east coast of Scotland.
That was stolen from him on Crow Road, in the Anniesland area of Glasgow, when the 18-year-old Celtic fan was killed in a drunken hit-and-run by footballer Ciaran Dickson, who played for Celtic’s B team, their second string, after crossing the city divide from Rangers a month earlier.
Dickson was yesterday sentenced to six years in jail at Glasgow High Court for causing death by dangerous driving.
The tragedy occurred just after midnight, not far from where Aidan had worked part-time at the McDonald’s in Partick.
Aidan was a straight-A pupil at Hyndland Academy. He was about to pursue his passion for politics and leave home for the first time, safe in the knowledge that others from his friendship circle had received offers to study at Dundee.
He and his friend Ben Smith were on the way to a friend’s house. Smith had crossed the road first before Aidan, believing there to be plenty of time. He then realised Dickson’s rented Mercedes was coming quicker than anticipated and turned to see Aidan halfway across.
Experts estimate Dickson was travelling at a speed between 64mph and 71mph when Aidan was struck. The speed limit was 30mph.
Pathologists suggested Aidan was not standing at the time of the collision. He may have been startled by the speed at which Dickson — almost four times over the drink limit — was coming towards him and it is possible he tripped.
His friend witnessed Aidan travel with the car for around 10 to 15 metres, finding him unconscious with blood coming from his mouth and ears. He suffered an exposed fractured skull and was pronounced dead at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, at 1.55am. Dickson left him for dead, fleeing the scene at an estimated speed of between 50mph and 70mph.
The badge from his car was found at the scene and data from a fitness watch retrieved by police showed he ran home after dumping his car on Dorchester Avenue. Dickson was interviewed by police two days later at London Road police station, in the shadow of Celtic Park, the stadium he would have hoped to play at.
He refused to provide the identity of the driver and was released pending an investigation.
CCTV footage showed Dickson had been binge drinking. He drank a pint of lager and a bottle of Corona at a restaurant, drove to a pool hall where he had a further two pints of lager, then drove to a bar where he consumed three pints of the strong cocktail venom, topped up with an extra measure of vodka.
Judge Lord Colbeck stated that Dickson’s blood alcohol level was estimated to have been 183 milligrams per 100 millilitres — the legal limit is 50mg/100ml.
Dickson gave a no-comment interview to officers in February 2022 where for the second time he refused to give the identity of the driver of the vehicle, as required by law. In June 2022, he was finally arrested and on January 9 this year pleaded guilty.
Mr Thomas Ross KC, representing Dickson, argued that two mitigating factors should be taken into consideration by the judge. He cited the age of Dickson and that he showed remorse during his background report interview.
Ross conceded that Dickson had the opportunity “thousands would give their right arm for” and that his client had ultimately “thrown it all away”.
The judge said: “Nothing I can say or do and no sentence any court could pass can compensate for Mr Pilkington’s death. In particular, when you have served the sentence I will impose, you will be able to return to your family and move on with your life, while the appalling loss suffered by the Pilkington family and Aidan’s friends will endure.
“The extent of that loss is evident from the measured and dignified victim impact statements provided to the court, which speak eloquently and movingly of Aidan, who was clearly a much-loved son, grandson and brother.
“The gravity of the crime you have committed is such that there is no suitable alternative to a prison sentence. That is necessary to punish you, to seek to deter you and others from driving in such a dangerous manner, and to protect the public from you.”
Dickson, now 21, was found to have committed a Level A offence in the sentencing guidelines, which called for a sentence range of seven and 12 years.
The judge said he would have handed a sentence of eight years but discounted two years in recognition of his guilty plea and his age, which meant he was “likely to have a lower level of maturity, and a greater capacity for change and rehabilitation, than an older person.”
Dickson was disqualified from driving for nine years, six of which he will serve during his prison sentence. He will need to pass the extended driving test before he can return to the road.
As he was led to the cells, Dickson turned to his family, who were seated on the opposite side from Aidan’s, and gave them a thumbs up. “Love you, see you later,” he said.
Dickson had a history of offending. He was handed three penalty points for careless driving in December 2020. In January 2022, a charge of failing to stop at a red light in December 2019 was thrown out by the Procurator Fiscal, Scotland’s prosecution service and death investigation authority.
He was convicted in April last year over a domestic incident which occurred after the hit and run and included hitting, harassing, threatening and stalking his former girlfriend.
They were on-off throughout their teenage years, but he is said to have hounded her between May and November 2022 after their relationship came to an end.
He repeatedly turned up at the pubs she worked in and made threats which included violence, damage to her car and the sharing of an intimate video. He was ordered to serve 180 hours of unpaid service.
Dickson could be out on licence — when an individual is released from jail subject to following certain rules — in three years, while Aidan’s family will suffer a lifetime of pain.
Dickson started playing football at Erskine Boys Club and Scotland Boys Club before Rangers scouted him at the age of seven.
He worked his way up the ranks, signing his first professional contract as a 16-year-old in 2018 and making his first-team debut as an 18-year-old in November 2020 under Gerrard.
Several of his team-mates who grew up alongside him at Rangers’ academy base, along with coaches and scouts, say that from an early age, he had the engine, footwork and confidence that set him apart.
Dickson with Rangers’ first-team squad at Benfica in 2020 (Jose Manuel Alvarez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
But this is about what shaped the person and not how he has been lost to football.
Dickson’s Rangers age group were particularly close. He is described by team-mates as “gallus” — Scottish slang for daring and cocky — and “excitable”, but conversations around discipline were about small indiscretions during his early teenage years.
He attended Holyrood Secondary School, one of the Scottish FA’s seven performance schools that see the best academy players aged 12 training every day as part of their schedule and has helped educate the likes of Scotland regulars Billy Gilmour and Nathan Patterson.
It was clear he liked to be seen as the alpha in the group, but after two largely successful years where he trained up a year or two at times, he moved to Boclair Academy in 2016. Rangers had launched a partnership with the school that saw 24 players join and he spent two years there before leaving at 16.
His mum, who was the parent coaches dealt with for over a decade, tried to use football as a vehicle to shape his behaviour. One Sunday morning that season, she called to say she would not be allowing him to play in order to teach him a lesson, which was backed by the club.
Things changed when he turned 16. The switch from part-time to full-time football was a factor as he went from training four nights a week to a schedule in which he was finishing in the afternoon and had time on his hands.
“It’s a classic Scottish football story,” says a member of staff based at the training ground during these events who, like all others in this article, is speaking on condition of anonymity to protect their position.
“How many good footballers do we have who get involved with things like alcohol? In France or Spain, he would have lived, studied and played on campus. It means there would have been no outside influences, which was 100 per cent what Ciaran needed.
“We’re behind in that regard because they get to go home and we don’t have them in the one area. He has to take responsibility for what he’s done.
“The tragedy upon all tragedies is that a family has lost their son. I can only imagine how they are feeling.”
Rangers considered placing him with a host family as they do with young players who move from further afield, but Erskine was not a prohibitive distance away.
Others focus on a turning point in Dickson’s life. He chose to move out of his mum’s home when he was 16 and, though she still worked hard to support him, some believe this is a significant factor as it inevitably diluted the close, stabilising influence she had on him when he was living with her.
Dickson continued to impress on the pitch, scoring in the Glasgow Cup final against Celtic in May 2018, in the Alkass Cup final against Roma in 2019, and in Rangers’ first UEFA Youth League match against Young Boys.
Off the pitch, however, staff observed a gradual decline in his conduct and professionalism.
Dickson is described as a “constant menace” in his final years at Rangers, according to one staff member. When he was on the pitch he was all-action, but when it came to life as a professional away from the grass, he did the bare minimum.
He was still the player who caught Gerrard’s eye as well as other first-team players who were impressed by his “old-school style”. The first thing the former Liverpool midfielder and Rangers manager looked for in a youth player training with the first team was ‘personality’. Dickson had the confidence and the competitive edge he was looking for to cope with the pressure.
Gerrard gave Dickson his Rangers debut (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
He had a natural aerobic capacity, which meant he was often leading the pack in distance covered during games, but attempts to make him see his full potential if he lived a fully professional life were ignored.
Coaches say this is a common problem in the Glasgow ‘goldfish bowl’ when a player becomes a ‘mini-celebrity’ and receives elevated wages before reaching the first team.
Dickson turned up to training on several occasions with marks to his face and damage to his hands. Several staff members say his explanation usually included that he had been attacked.
On one occasion, he was sent home because he was assessed as inebriated while at the training ground.
“We tried to support the kid, ask him what was happening, if they’re OK,” says one member of staff. “Once he said, ‘I’m fine, I just had an off day’, and then for six weeks he presents as regular and you think ‘OK’. But you never really know what is going on outside football.”
The warnings continuously fell on deaf ears.
His life became so chaotic and disruptive to his career that an employee even suggested taking him into his family home.
“I think ‘what if’ all the time, but sometimes you open your heart to people and they spit in your face,” says another staff member. “It broke my heart when I read what happened. It made me sick reading it.
“He did a million things wrong in the end. He was given olive branch after olive branch and was warned of his behaviour for years, but he was too far gone by that point. He thought he was invincible and that he would always be saved.
“But if someone like Steven Gerrard gives you a chance and you let him down, what chance does anyone else have?”
In September 2020, shortly after another disciplinary incident while at B team level, Dickson was allowed to train with Sheffield United for a week.
They were aware that he may come with some baggage, but he impressed the coaches enough to explore a deal.
Rangers were looking for training compensation, but Sheffield United were not willing to sanction a fee, so he returned to Glasgow. He was given a final chance to prove himself.
“I thought young Dickson was terrific. He played with energy, personality and character. He’s the type who will never let me down,” said Gerrard after his debut.
“He’s probably had a similar upbringing to me in that he knows what it means to represent Rangers and the shirt.”
Within weeks of training regularly with Gerrard’s first team, Dickson went AWOL one day and missed a training session. He could not be contacted. Initial dismay at his absence turned to concern for his welfare when no one could contact or locate him.
He was summoned to give an explanation and quickly provided a story which related to a recent funeral. The lack of communication was not acceptable to Rangers, who viewed it as a return to a pattern of excuses. It proved to be one of the final acts of his Rangers career.
He moved to Scottish Championship club Queen of the South on loan in March 2021 — one of four Rangers loanees in the squad — and played six times before the arrangement was terminated after a disciplinary breach.
“In training, I was thinking, ‘This kid is good, a proper box-to-box midfielder’, but you could tell he wasn’t living right,” says a team-mate at the time.
“He would train well but he would always come in just about on time. A couple of times I said, ‘Listen, I don’t know what you’ve been doing over the weekend, but liven up, come in and get your stuff done, stop messing about and not being professional’. He would listen, but I don’t know if he actually took in what you were saying.
“He didn’t turn up for a training session and everyone was wondering where he was. We thought he had gone back to Rangers, but then he came in later that week. He told the boys he had been in London and tried to get back up but hadn’t made it. That was him after that.”
Dickson on loan at Queen of the South in March 2021 (Rob Casey/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Dickson returned to Rangers, but he had burned all his bridges. Gerrard had cut ties with him and culturally the academy could not allow a player to drop back down as it would have sent the wrong message.
He was released along with nine other academy players at the end of the Covid-19 season, four months after signing a deal until the summer of 2023.
Many inside the academy thought he could salvage a successful career at Premiership level, but they all cautioned that with the advice that he had to get out of Glasgow.
He went on trial at Burnley, even playing in a trial match against Rangers, but coaches noticed his body shape had changed for the worse. “He looked like what you feared would happen without any discipline,” says one.
For many years, the Old Firm have had a gentleman’s agreement not to sign academy players directly from each other.
However, Dickson had been a free agent for over three months after his contract at Rangers was terminated.
On August 30, 2021, a picture of him posing with a shirt at Celtic Park started to circulate on social media.
Doubt was cast on whether it was an old photograph, but Celtic had indeed signed him. There was surprise from some inside Rangers as they presumed his conduct would have stopped their rivals given the attention crossing the divide comes with.
Celtic were acutely aware of his ability and many of the disciplinary risks which had led to him being unexpectedly available. They had sought acknowledgement from Dickson that he had to change his ways before they were prepared to offer him the chance to prove himself on a short-term deal.
Dickson playing for Celtic on September 4, 2011 – a week before Aidan was killed (Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)
He excelled in his first three weeks, with excitement around his name building after he scored on his debut against Greenock Morton.
But within three weeks, his off-field behaviour ended in tragedy.
Celtic tore up his contract after he was charged and Dickson is now facing six years in jail. After serving three years, he will be eligible for release on licence with good behaviour, by which time he will be 24.
Aidan never even got the chance to start university.
(Top photos: Mike Gibbons via Spindrift Photo Agency; design: Eamonn Dalton)
