Excerpt:
Midland UKIP candidate Dean Perks has been given a dressing down by party chiefs for saying that thieves should have their hands cut off .
Mr Perks, who is seeking to become MP for Halesowen and Rowley Regis at the next general election, also believes that hard-line sharia law is the answer to crime.
His controversial remarks – exclusively reported in last week's Sunday Mercury – led to calls for him to be dumped as parliamentary candidate for the Black Country seat.