Former Marine: Ian Couch, 54, of Cambridgeshire, sent the offensive messages in a drunken rage

A former UK Independence Party candidate faced jail today for emailing racist slurs to a mosque and posting a photograph of a pig’s head on Facebook.

Ex-Marine Ian Couch, 54, sent the offensive messages in a drunken rage after becoming angry at TV reports of the beheading of journalist James Foley by ISIS militants.

Couch, a former counter terrorism operative, also posted racial slurs on Facebook alongside a picture of a pig’s head he kept in his fridge.

Police seized the head when they raided his home in Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, and Couch claimed he had bought it for his dogs.

The court heard Couch made anti-Muslim comments such as ‘your religion is a disgrace’, ‘how many heads do you have as a trophy’ and ‘the sooner we destroy Islam the better’.

And among his posts on Facebook was one that said: ‘Isn't it funny that they can cut off women and children’s heads but can't touch a pig's?’

Couch denied two counts of sending offensive messages and claimed he had a right to freedom of expression.

But magistrates rejected this in Cambridge last Thursday and told Couch he faced jail. Presiding magistrate Marisa Johnson said his actions were ‘indefensible’.

She said: ‘We find the email was offensive. We are offended by it and it had the intention of causing offence and distress to the people who received it.

Image: A pig's head photo posted on Couch's Facebook page. The court heard his actions were 'indefensible'

'You are in a very serious situation, particularly at these volatile and serious times. We consider it a hate crime and are looking at a custodial sentence with a six-week starting point.

‘We can’t tolerate this kind of behaviour from anyone which is likely to make matters worse for people in the community.’

Joe Bird, prosecuting, said Couch had stood as a Ukip candidate for South Cambridgeshire District Council last May but failed to be elected.

Ms Johnson added: ‘You knew full well when you sent that email that it’s something they would find grossly offensive.’

Taxi driver Abdul Muquith, who volunteers as a receptionist at the Omar Faruque mosque in Cambridge, received the email in question.

Another pig image posted on his Facebook page: Couch denied two counts of sending offensive messages

Couch had become angry at TV reports of the beheading of journalist James Foley (above) by ISIS militants

He told the court: ‘I was scared and very upset because we are quite a close-knit community in that area and we are responsible for the well-being and safety our congregation.

Statement: A tie with pigs on it that Couch wore to an earlier court hearing linked to the offence. He claimed he had a right to freedom of expression

‘I was shocked because we’d never received any emails in the past in that kind of language. We were scared that something might happen in the morning when he arrived.’

Mr Muquith then discovered a string of racist slurs on Couch’s Facebook page when he looked him up after receiving the initial email.

He added: ‘There were pictures and a lot of language which was against Muslims and Islam and a lot of statements about putting pigs’ heads in the mosques.

‘There are no words to describe how shocking it was for me to see things like that on a Facebook page.’

After the case Paul Bullen, Ukip group leader for Cambridgeshire County Council, confirmed Couch was no longer a member of the party.

He said: ‘When the party became aware that he was anti-Islamic and that he didn’t have our standards we asked him to leave, which he did immediately.

‘I believe his conviction is correct and his actions are damaging to the community. You can’t judge a religion on a few fanatics.’