Posted on the 18th May 2026 in PHTM News

HIGHLAND CABBIE JAILED FOR 81 MONTHS AFTER RAPE OF VULNERABLE TEEN PASSENGER

A 50-year-old cabbie who raped an 18-year-old passenger before dumping her in freezing temperatures has been sentenced to six years and nine months in prison.

David Brown, of Croy, Inverness-shire, picked up the teenager following a night out in Inverness on December 3, 2023.

Although the victim lacked the full fare, Brown told her: "That’s fine and that he would give me a lift anyway." Instead of taking her home, Brown drove past her destination and took her on a rural tour.

During the journey, the victim recalled that Brown put his hand down her unzipped puffer jacket, grabbed her breast, and said: "Oh you’ve been hiding this from me," causing her to freeze in fear.

Data recovered from Brown's own car tracking system proved he drove around the outskirts of Dingwall before pulling into a remote, secluded lay-by near a farm, where the attack took place.

Sentencing Brown at the High Court in Stirling, Judge Lord Renucci condemned the attack on the "vulnerable" teenager.

Lord Renucci told Brown that his victim was entitled to expect a safe ride home, but instead faced "a terrifying ordeal" where Brown took advantage of her inebriation "for your own sexual gratification."

Following the assault, Brown drove the teenager back to Dingwall and "dumped her out of your taxi in the very early hours of the morning" in sub-zero temperatures.

A sympathetic Tesco staff member spotted the shivering girl and opened the store early to shelter her from the cold. The victim later contacted the police, who managed to track down Brown.

Brown denied the rape charge throughout a three-day trial in Edinburgh, maintaining that the sexual encounter was consensual and instigated by the victim - a claim Lord Renucci noted was firmly "rejected by the jury."

Along with his prison sentence, Brown has been placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

Following the verdict, Detective Inspector Michael Cosh praised the victim and encouraged other survivors to come forward, stating: "Police Scotland takes reports of sexual crime very seriously... You will be listened to and supported."


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