Man found guilty of threatening to behead Ukip candidate

A man is facing jail after being convicted of threatening to behead a Ukip candidate in the run up to the May election.

Aftab Ahmed, 44, rang David Robinson-Young after receiving a Ukip leafletthrough the post on April 21.

Mr Robinson-Young told magistrates: "At first he was very conversational and said that six months ago he would have voted Ukip.

"When I asked him why he would no longer vote for us he said that he was fed up with my government portraying Muslim people in a poor light."

The Ukip candidate for Newcastle East said the caller then carried on a "torrid of abuse".

"He said 'your government has been supporting the bombing of our Muslim brothers in the Middle East'".

When Mr Robinson-Young told him he would hang up, the court heard Ahmed said: "If you don't f*** off then you will be the next one to get beheaded."

Mr Robinson-Young said the comment "left him cold" and he did not leave his house all day.

He said: "We were all familiar with what happened with the beheadings athome and abroad so I was terrified."

Ahmed, of Winchcombe Place, Heaton, was arrested three dayslater after police traced the number back to his parents' house.

He denied making threats to behead Mr Robinson-Young claiming did not hold any extremist views.

He will be sentenced at Newcastle Magistrates Court later this week.