A PILOT was today convicted of making threats to kill UKIP leader Nigel Farage after the pair survived a plane crash.

At Oxford Crown Court, Justin Adams, 46, was unanimously found guilty on five counts of making threats to kill Mr Farage and air crash investigator Martin James.

Adams, from Buckland, near Faringdon, told jurors during the four-day trial the threats were “intended to be spurious” so he could receive mental health treatment.

The pilot had suffered alcoholism and depression, and his business and marriage had collapsed following the crash near Brackley on Election Day last May, when his plane was towing a UKIP banner, the court heard.

Adams made the threats just days after a Civil Aviation Authority report into the accident cleared him of any blame.

He met Mr Farage at the Lamb pub in Buckland on November 26 and, the MEP told jurors, said: “I was going to kill you today, but I’ve decided not to, but I can’t preclude it from happening in the future.”

Adams then rang UKIP secretary Samantha Sutton and said he had bought a gun and the party leader had a week to issue a joint press release to give Adams’ side of the story “or else”.

In a call to police on November 28, Adams said he had killed people before while serving in the special forces and had the weapon and enough bullets to shoot Mr Farage, Mr James and then himself.

Adams was remanded in custody to be sentenced next month.

In a statement, Mr Farage said: “This has been a sad case from start to finish. I just hope Mr Adams now receives the medical help that he so clearly needs.”

After the verdicts, prosecutor Alan Blake said: “There were two victims of the plane crash on Election Day 2010. Each suffered physical injuries and, no doubt, psychological injuries from such a traumatic event. For Justin Adams that crash started a chain of events which caused severe personal and financial disruption.

“He focused his sense of grievance on the accident investigator, Martin James, and upon his fellow crash victim Nigel Farage, who, he felt, had not done enough to help him get his side of the story into the media. Troubled by depression and alcoholism he repeatedly threatened to kill both men, giving increasingly graphic and detailed accounts of his plans for revenge.

“Although in part no doubt motivated by a desire to get help with his depression, Mr Adams deliberately chose to issue death threats that caused concern to those who were threatened and to those to whom he made the threats.”