Taxi Driver Online

Interesting

Lots of technical stuff here that requires careful reading (after the rehash stuff).

But I'm inclined to take the applicant's side here, and think Police Scotland more worried about the possible PR angle than anything, and taking a hyper-box ticking approach.

But, I mean, you'd think both sides would have gotten all these insurance details and the like sorted out before the whole process?


Exclusive: Police objected to Inverness rapist taxi driver’s wife’s licence bid because it would ‘benefit’ jailed husband

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... objection/

E-mails seen by The Press and Journal show Anne-Marie Brown argued her new company is "entirely independent" before her application was approved.

Highland councillors who agreed to grant a taxi operator’s licence to the wife of a convicted rapist taxi driver voted against a police objection, The Press and Journal can reveal.

Earlier this week, the council’s licensing committee granted both a taxi operator’s licence and a temporary taxi operator’s licence to Anne-Marie Brown.

Mrs Brown is the wife of David Brown, of Croy near Inverness, who was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison in May for raping an 18-year-old female passenger in December 2023.

In June, we revealed that six male councillors had voted to allow Brown to keep his taxi operator’s licence despite opposition from all the female members of the licensing committee and an objection submitted by Police Scotland.

The vote caused uproar within the council with its top legal officer even taking the rare step to have the decision revisited. Brown voluntarily surrendered his licences before it was reviewed.

It is understood it was Brown’s wife who had attended the initial meeting in June and asked the councillors not to revoke the licence as the pair ran the Inverness-based taxi company Ness Taxis together.

And earlier this week, Mrs Brown attended another licensing committee meeting to discuss the granting of her own taxi operator’s licence.

The meeting took place behind closed doors, with neither the public nor the media allowed access to the debate.

Once the meeting was over, Highland Council confirmed to us the licence had been granted, but no further details were made public.

However, The Press and Journal can now reveal that councillors voted to approve Mrs Brown’s licence despite another police objection recommending them not to do so.

• Private documents seen by The P&J also show the application received two letters of objection from members of the public as well as a letter of support.

• Across the dozens of pages given to the committee members ahead of the vote, there is an email sent from Mrs Brown to a licensing officer threatening the council with legal action for its “negligence” dealing with her case.

• In the emails sent by Mrs Brown to the local authority, she maintains she will be “the sole investor, owner and operator” of her taxi business.

Why police objected to new licence application

Leaked documents show Anne-Marie Brown submitted an application for her own taxi operator’s licence on July 1.

On July 29, Police Scotland submitted a letter of objection in relation to the application.

It argued that Mrs Brown’s “taxi business will be operated for the benefit of Mr Brown”.

The objection reads: “It is assessed that the applicant will be operating the taxi operator’s licence on behalf and to the benefit of Mr David Brown, who has been convicted of rape, an offence which occurred whilst the licensable activity was being carried out.

"A licensing authority shall refuse an application to grant or renew a licence if, in their opinion, the activity to which it relates would be managed by or carried on the benefit of a person, other than the applicant, who would be refused the grant or renewal of such licence if he made the application himself.

“The vehicle currently shows as no tax with Mr David Brown listed as the insurance policy holder. The applicant, Mrs Brown, is a named driver.

“Mrs Brown is listed as the secretary for Ness Taxis (Inverness) Ltd, with Mr Brown being the director. This provides further information to demonstrate the taxi business will be operated for the benefit of Mr Brown.”

Wife says new taxi business ‘is entirely independent’

According to Companies House, Anne-Marie Brown’s appointment as secretary of Ness Taxis (Inverness) Ltd was terminated on August 3, just six days after Police Scotland submitted their objection.

In an email sent to Highland Council licensing officers, Mrs Brown described the police letter of objection as “factually outdated.”

In the email, she insists her new business will be “entirely independent”.

She wrote: “The vehicle was still legally licensed under Mr Brown’s name at the exact point when the police conducted their routine checks. There was absolutely nothing irregular or unlawful about its status at that time.

“The vehicle ownership and V5 registration have since been fully and legally transferred into my sole name. The temporary lack of road tax was a standard transitional state during an active ownership and cherished number plate transfer.

“It is a logistical impossibility to establish active, commercial taxi insurance prior to the council granting and issuing the specific operator licence number itself. All operational criteria will be fully met at the proper legal juncture.”

The email continues: “The business is entirely independent. Because David Brown is incarcerated with zero physical, operational, or financial access to my proposed sole trader setup, the activity cannot be carried on for his benefit.

“My previous listing as Companies Secretary for Ness Taxis (Inverness) Ltd was merely administrative. I have already explained this to licensing in great detail, answered all questions in August, and provided clear evidence showing my formal resignation on August 3, 2026, and the marking of the company as completely dormant.”

However, sources inside Tuesday’s meeting have told The Press and Journal police still considered their objections “relevant”.

Insiders say officers argued their refusal was still relevant “because it was a financial interest.”

It is understood police argued that “Mr Brown would still be making profit whilst being in prison.”

Legal threats to Highland Council due to its ‘negligence’

On October 1, Anne Marie Brown wrote another email to the council’s licensing team to respond to “the third-party objections” and the Police Scotland representation.

Mrs Brown argued “the content of these submissions, along with the total lack of supporting evidence, mean that the full hearing is entirely unjustified.”

In the email, she again insisted she would be “the sole investor, owner, and operator of the proposed sole trader operation”.

The communication finishes with a legal threat to Highland Council if the committee’s decision is not favourable.

The email concludes: “I explicitly maintain the proceeding under this compressed track is forced upon me solely due to council negligence, and I reserve my right to challenge any adverse determination in the Sheriff Court on the grounds of procedural error, frustration of effective counsel, and breach of natural justice.”

Highland Licensing Committee unanimously grants taxi licence to Anne-Marie Brown

Councillors Jackie Hendry, Emma Knox, Kate MacLean and Lyndsey Johnston, who was appointed licensing committee chair earlier in the day, were the four female councillors who voted not to grant David Brown a taxi operator’s licence.

However, at the start of the committee’s meeting, they said they would not be taking part in the items including Mrs Brown’s applications due to “public perception of a declaration of interest”.

It is understood the licensing committee members left to make the decision were Laurie Fraser, Jan McEwan, Maureen Ross, Karl Rosie and Christine Gillies.

They are said to have unanimously decided to grant a taxi operator’s licence to Mrs Brown.

Police Scotland told The Press and Journal they would not comment on a decision by a licensing committee.

Mrs Brown and Highland Council were both contacted to comment.

Get in there


Anything to do with the fact that they've trashed the whole thing in terms of quasi-judicial process, and that's a tacit admission?