IN THE NEWS


CHAOS AT HIGHLAND COUNCIL AS RESIGNATIONS & BACKLASH FOLLOW DECISION ON RAPIST’S LICENCE


The Highland Council has been plunged into crisis following a deeply controversial, closed-door decision to allow jailed rapist David Brown to retain his operator’s licence. On 15 May 2026, Brown, 50, was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison and placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life. He had been found guilty after a three-day trial in Edinburgh of raping an 18-year-old customer he picked up in Inverness in December 2023, before abandoning her in a remote area in sub-zero temperatures. Although his personal driver’s licence was revoked, six male councillors on the licensing committee voted to let him keep his operator’s licence. This allowed his vehicle to be used as a taxi business, just five weeks into his sentence, outvoting four female colleagues and overriding explicit objections from Police Scotland and council officials. The male councillors argued that the decision was intended to protect Brown’s wife from financial hardship, as she relied on the business for her income. While former SNP committee member Chris Birt stood by his vote, stating: “I stand by


that 22


decision, as it was lawful, ensured public safety, and was just,” the ruling sparked intense political fallout and public outrage. After criticism of the decision, the chairman, Sean Kennedy, along with John Grafton, Duncan Macpherson and Willie MacKay resigned from the committee. Independent councillor MacKay has also resigned as a councillor, while Grafton has been expelled by the Scottish Liberal Democrat group on the Highland Council. Chris Birt has since


been


suspended by the SNP. Former committee chairman, Sean Kennedy, admitted he was “haunted” by


how the vote


affected the victim, while councillor John Grafton issued an apology, acknowledging: “With the benefit of hindsight and information not available on the day, I now believe this was not the right decision. “I would like to apologise to the victim and their family for any distress this may have caused, that was not my intention.” The decision sparked widespread condemnation, triggering a public protest in Inverness’s Falcon Square and an online petition demanding the licence


be


revoked, which gathered thousands of signatures. Public safety advocates and politicians strongly criticised the vote, with SNP MSP, Maree Todd, calling it “incomprehensible.” Nicola Love of Rape Crisis Scotland argued: “We don’t think that it is in any way appropriate for someone who was not only convicted of a sexual offence, but somebody who


was convicted of a sexual offence using the guise of his taxi, to be allowed to operate a taxi.” Romy Rehfeld of Rape and Sexual Abuse Service Highland added that such decisions “cause real additional distress to survivors and risks forcing them to relive their trauma,” demanding answers on why police objections were ignored. Protest organiser Claire MacKay called for full transparency and audits, asserting: “Women need to know that when they get into a taxi in the Highlands they are safe.”MacKay In response to the uproar, the council’s chief legal officer initiated a formal Notice of Referral on the grounds of potential “contra- vention of law” or “mal- administration leading to injustice,” sending the licensing decision to a full council meeting for review. Mandatory legal training is also being implemented for local politicians, while remaining male councillors who supported the decision face potential votes of no confidence. Meanwhile, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service confirmed that Brown intends to appeal both his rape conviction and his prison sentence.


AUGUST 2026 PHTM


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