THIS is the face of a rapist who was allowed by a council to continue working as a taxi driver while out on bail. David Yates, of Blackdown Close in Stevenage, was caged for 10 years for three counts of rape and 10 counts of indecent assault when he appea

THIS is the face of a rapist who was allowed by a council to continue working as a taxi driver while out on bail.

David Yates, of Blackdown Close in Stevenage, was caged for 10 years for three counts of rape and 10 counts of indecent assault when he appeared at Luton Crown Court on Friday.

The 64-year-old will also remain indefinitely on the sex offenders' register.

In full knowledge of the charges brought against him, Stevenage Borough Council (SBC) made the decision not to suspend the sex fiend's taxi licence. This allowed him to continue to work as a cab driver for Stevenage Taxis while on bail.

The council has defended its decision by emphasising that conditions were added to his licence, but it has refused to disclose what these conditions were. They were set in a meeting closed to the press and public.

A spokesman for SBC said: "When we were informed of the charges against Mr Yates, the general purposes committee decided to add conditions to his licence. Following his conviction on Friday, his licence was revoked."

According to a taxi driver who contacted The Comet, cabbies across Stevenage are outraged by the council's decision. "A taxi driver is in a position of trust and people are vulnerable when they are in the back of a taxi," said the driver, who did not want to be named. "He shouldn't have been allowed to continue working. Another driver accused of rape had his licence taken off him straightaway, so this doesn't even make sense."

Tina Turnbull, the manager at Stevenage Taxis, said: "The decision on whether he worked or not, in regard to this, was made by the police in liaison with the council's licensing officer. Obviously we would fall in line with their decision."

She added: "Mr Yates' work record has been exemplary.