TAXI DRIVER JAILED FOR RAPING TEEN AND ABANDONING HER IN FREEZING TEMPERATURES
A taxi driver convicted of raping his teenage passenger in a secluded roadside spot and subsequently abandoning her in freezing weather has been sentenced to six years and nine months in prison.David Brown, aged 50, had picked up an 18-year-old woman who had been out for the night in Inverness.
She initially intended to return to her home in a Highland village, but Brown diverted from her intended route, driving past her destination and stopping in a lay-by near a farm situated somewhere between Strathpeffer and Dingwall.
His movements were later tracked using the car’s GPS system.
During the sentencing, Lord Renucci told Brown he had assaulted a "vulnerable" young woman significantly younger than himself, and that the crime involved violence.
The judge explained: “When she entered your taxi that night, she had every right to expect you to deliver her safely to her home, which was some distance away.
Instead, you continued past her destination, drove through Dingwall and its outskirts, and eventually stopped in a remote and secluded lay-by near a farm.
It was there that you raped her.
She was only 18, and you were notably older, at 47.
This must have been a terrifying experience for her, especially given her intoxicated state, which you exploited for your own sexual gratification.” After committing the assault, Brown drove her back into Dingwall, effectively leaving her there in the early hours of the morning.
Lord Renucci noted that, “fortunately,” a staff member at a local Tesco store noticed her, showed compassion, and allowed her inside to escape the cold.
In addition to his prison sentence, Brown will be registered as a sex offender for life.
He, from Croy in Inverness-shire, appeared via video link at Stirling’s High Court for sentencing after being convicted by a jury following a three-day trial held in Edinburgh last month.
Brown had denied the rape charge, claiming the sexual encounter was consensual and initiated by the victim herself.
His defence lawyer, Bill Adam, maintained that this was still his client’s position.
However, Lord Renucci stated: “[This version of events] was rejected by the jury.” The incident occurred on December 3, 2023.
During the trial, testimony was given through pre-recorded evidence in which the victim explained Brown had initially agreed to take her home despite her lack of fare, saying, “He said that’s fine and that he would give me a lift anyway.” She recounted that Brown did not follow her intended route but instead headed into the Ross-shire countryside, where he then forced her to perform oral sex.
After the assault, he drove her to Dingwall and left her outside in temperatures as low as -4°C.
The traumatized young woman contacted police, who tracked Brown’s whereabouts, collected sufficient evidence, and brought him to court.
Brown showed no visible emotion when the sentence was announced.
