Farage Kill Threats Pilot Sentenced

10 June 2011, 12:52 | Updated: 10 June 2011, 15:38

A pilot's been sentenced for threatening tokill UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage (right) after they were both involved in a plane crash.

Mr Farage and Justin Adams, 46, from Buckland, Oxfordshire, were both badly injured in the crash near Brackley, Northamptonshire on the day of the General Election on 6 May 2010. 

Mr Farage had been campaigning to become the MP for Buckingham, but he lost the election to John Bercow.  The plane had been towing a campaign banner when it nose-dived.

Adams, 46, was sentenced to a two-year community order at Oxford Crown Court on Friday 10 June 2011.  It means he will be supervised in the community, and not have to go to prison.

A court heard the threats to kill both Mr Farage and crash investigator Martin James were a "plea for help" by Mr Adams after he had suffered job and relationship difficulties in the wake of the crash. 

He lost work as a pilot while an investigation took place.  He also felt he had been denied a chance to sell his story to the papers, because Mr Farage had told him not to speak to the press until the investigation was complete.

Mr Justice Saunders, said Adams was suffering from "a depressive order of moderate severity'' which had been triggered by the crash.

The judge told the court: "He was also drinking to excess, which undoubtedly impaired his judgment and affected his behaviour.

"I also accept, having heard the evidence in the trial, that to an extent these offences were a cry for help as well as an expression of anger and resentment at the events that had happened.''

But he added: "There is nothing that could have justified these offences, and they were serious. Mr Adams made persistent threats over a three-day period that he was going to kill Martin James and Nigel Farage.''

The judge told Adams: "This has to be an end to all of these matters. Do you understand?'', to which the pilot replied "Yes."