Four Highland councillors resign after rape convict licence vote backlash

Four Highland councillors have quit licensing roles after a private committee vote kept David Brown’s taxi operator’s licence alive despite his rape conviction.

Brown, 50, from Croy near Inverness, was convicted in May 2026 of raping an 18-year-old female passenger he picked up after a night out in Inverness in December 2023. His taxi driver’s licence was suspended in January 2024. His two taxi operator licences came before Highland Council’s licensing committee for review on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, in a meeting held in private.

Police Scotland attended and objected to the licences continuing, yet councillors voted six to four to let the operator’s licence remain active. The split fell along gender lines, with the four women councillors opposing the move and the six men supporting it. Highland Council referred the decision to a future full council meeting after Stewart Fraser, the council’s chief legal and governance officer, initiated a Standing Order 16 Notice of Referral.

Sean Kennedy, the committee chair, resigned. John Grafton, a Liberal Democrat councillor, also stepped down from licensing roles and apologised to the victim and her family, saying that with hindsight he now believed it was the wrong decision. Independent councillor Willie MacKay likewise resigned from the committee. A fourth councillor also resigned.

Rape and Sexual Abuse Service Highland said allowing a convicted rapist to keep a licence linked to the job used to commit the rape sent a harmful message to victims and to women told to use taxis to stay safe at night. Highland Council does not comment on individual licensing cases held in private, but the referral process is in place. The committee met again on 4 August 2026, with further meetings scheduled for 15 September, 27 October and 1 December 2026.