Taxi driver who raped teenage passenger keeps operator's licence

A taxi driver who raped a teenage female passenger before leaving her in sub-zero temperatures has kept his licence to operate a taxi business despite being in jail.

David Brown, 50, of Croy, near Inverness, was sentenced to six years and nine months in May following his attack on the 18-year-old in December 2023.

Highland licensing committee voted in private last week to allow a taxi operator's licence to continue in his name despite objections from Police Scotland.

BBC Scotland News understands a member of his family requested that the licence continue.

Highland Council said the committee's decision had since been referred to a future meeting of the full council for further consideration.

Brown picked up the woman who had been on a night out in Inverness and was wanting to go back to her Highland village.

Instead he drove past her destination before pulling into a lay-by near a farm, somewhere between Strathpeffer and Dingwall, and sexually assaulting her.

He then left her in Dingwall.

Jailing Brown at the High Court in Stirling last month, judge Lord Renucci told him he had forced the teenager to undergo a terrifying ordeal.

Brown was the holder of two taxi operator's licences, according to papers for Highland Licensing Committee on 23 June.

Discussion on the licenses was held during a part of the meeting when the public is excluded.

Highland Council said it did not comment on individual licensing cases, especially those held in private.

But a spokeswoman added: "The licensing committee decision will now be referred to a future meeting of The Highland Council for further consideration."

Police Scotland said: "We can confirm officers attended a Highland Council licensing committee meeting on Tuesday 23 June and submitted an objection.

"The decision on whether to grant a license is a matter for the council."

The situation was first reported by the Inverness Courier.

Brown's taxi driver's licence, which had permitted him to drive a taxi, was suspended by Highland licensing committee in January 2024.

But his operator's licence was not suspended at that time.

Brown's victim told his trial how he had agreed to run her home despite her not having enough to pay the fare.

However Brown had instead headed for the Ross-shire countryside where he pulled into the lay-by.

He then groped the girl and sexually assaulted her, before forcing her to perform a sex act.

The girl later contacted police, who managed to track Brown down and detectives gathered enough evidence to bring him to court.

Brown's journey to the rural spot where he carried out the rape, on 3 December 2023, was recovered from the tracker system of his own car.

Lord Renucci said Brown had then "dumped" the teenager back in Dingwall in the early hours of the morning, despite the temperature being -4C.

A member of staff at the town's Tesco saw the girl, took pity on her, and opened up the store to let her in out of the cold.

Lord Renucci said: "When she got into your taxi that night, she was entitled to think you would perform the function you had been engaged to – that of delivering her safely to her own home, which was some distance away.

"Instead you drove on, past the area where she lived, and took her to Dingwall where, as we know from the tracker system of your car, you drove about the town and the outskirts before stopping at a secluded and remote lay-by near a farm."

The judge said Brown "took advantage" of the woman for his own sexual gratification.

Brown had denied the charge of rape and claimed he had a consensual sexual encounter but was found guilty by a jury after a three-day trial in Edinburgh in April.