Highland Council has passed an overwhelming vote of no confidence in five councillors who backed letting convicted rapist David Brown keep taxi operator licences.
The full council vote on 17 September was 56–6 (five abstentions) naming Sean Kennedy, Chris Birt, John Grafton, Ruraidh Stewart and Duncan Macpherson. In June six male licensing members took no action on Brown’s operator licences while four women voted to revoke; Brown, jailed nearly seven years for raping an 18-year-old passenger in December 2023, later surrendered the licences. A sixth supporter, Willie Mackay, had already quit the council. The motion is political condemnation — the five remain elected members — after public and press backlash.