Dudley councillor Colin Elcock breached conduct code with Islam tweets

Colin Elcock now sits as an independent councillor after being expelled from the Conservative party

An investigation has found a councillor breached a code of conduct with tweets branded Islamophobic.

Dudley councillor Colin Elcock tweeted Islam was "domination not integration" and asked whether people in Iran were "all on the dole".

Initially suspended from the Conservative party, he has since been expelled, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The council has directed him to undergo equality and diversity training.

Mr Elcock, who represents the Norton ward, admitted sending the since-deleted tweets.

However, he denied posting a pornographic image, which also drew complaints, saying his account had been hacked.

Cllr Elcock has since deleted the Tweets

The committee found his comments about Islam "could be viewed as discriminatory"

The council committee failed to agree on whether he was responsible for the "lewd" image, but said the tweets about Iran and Islam had breached its code of conduct.

It also censured him for abusive messages targeting politicians including Michael Heseltine, Hilary Benn, John Bercow and Jeremy Corbyn, as well as journalists Emily Maitlis, Louise Minchin, Kirsty Wark and Robert Peston.

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Much of Mr Elcock's mitigation relied on "the country being in uproar" at the time and "BBC correspondents inciting aggravation", BBC Radio WM's political reporter, Rob Mayor, said.

Dudley Council will review its social media training for councillors

Mr Elcock also said the fallout from the tweets had "destroyed his family" and that his wife of 50 years was seeking a divorce.

"This is the most horrendous situation I have ever brought on my family and I just want it cleared," he said.

The committee accepted Mr Elcock was "genuinely sorry" and said the social media training available to councillors would be reviewed.