derek returns a few months later to help denise fox (diane parish) with a meeting in the community centre. derek and denise organise an easter fair and he tries to get carmel and denise talking again after they fall out. he accepts a job at the minute mart and irritates his co-worker, honey mitchell (emma barton), when he makes fun of her display and constantly takes breaks. he annoys her further when they both attend kim fox-hubbard's (tameka empson) quiz night alongside billy mitchell (perry fenwick) and derek has to join their team, but they win the quiz thanks to derek's knowledge. when derek confronts shoplifter keegan baker (zack morris), honey is pleased to have him working at the shop. while talking with honey, derek reveals that he has been chosen as the new face of the minute mart. yolande trueman (angela wynter) then visits and asks to speak with derek and she informs him that he could lose his job and be kicked out of the back to work programme for failing to disclose his criminal record. derek has another run-in with keegan when he tries to steal a magazine and keegan throws the magazine at derek and calls him a queer. when honey leaves derek in charge of the shop yolande calls and tells him that he is sacked. upset, derek lashes out at johnny carter (ted reilly) and berates him for not standing up to keegan and tells him about the struggles of being a gay man while it was illegal. johnny tracks derek down at his flat and questions why he quit at the minute mart. derek explains that he has a conviction that he failed to disclose from when he was younger as he had a boyfriend who was twenty, which was below the age of consent for homosexuals and that he was arrested and imprisoned for nine months. johnny tells him that he can get pardoned for his conviction and derek agrees. in december 2017, honey mentions that derek has left walford and she is short staffed.