Officers have arrested 21-year-old Matthew Ellery ( pictured ) on suspicion of theft . A UKIP candidate handed his own son – a Ukip councillor – in to police after discovering valuable stock from his antiques shop had been stolen . Alan Stone , 50 , said the decision to take Matthew Ellery to the police had been the most difficult of his life . But he added that he hoped it would show he was capable of making hard choices and worthy of a seat at Westminster . Mr Stone is hoping to oust the disgraced former culture secretary Maria Miller in May . The father-of-four admitted he had a 'lump in his throat ' as he apparently escorted the 21-year-old to the local police station . Officers arrested Ellery on suspicion of theft . Mr Stone said : 'It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do but I would do it again . I took him to the police station , absolutely . I did what I had to do . The police are still investigating . ' The grandfather added : ' I made a complaint about stock going missing – whether he stole it from me I do not know yet . I will stand by him when it is all over . He is my son . ' Ellery , who controversially won a place on Basingstoke and Dean Council last year , has been released on bail until after the election . Mr Stone , who was announced as Ukip 's candidate for Basingstoke last year , said he was hopeful of winning the seat despite the arrest . 'It is a family issue , ' he said . 'It could be very positive . The fact that I am willing to take my own children to court if they do something wrong is a positive move . I am capable of taking the hard decisions if they are needed . ' Alan Stone , 50 , said the decision to take his son to the police had been the most difficult of his life . The parliamentary candidate admitted his action had received 'mixed reactions ' from the rest of his family , with some even suggesting the move was politically motivated . He added that he had not seen his son , who uses his mother 's maiden name , for a week . Ellery 's election to his local council was shrouded in controversy , coming as it did after he caused outrage by branding the women in his town 'pug ugly ' on social media . He also posted a message on Facebook saying that he 'felt like stabbing someone ' . Mr Stone went to the police three weeks ago after finding stock had been stolen from his shop Squirrel Antiques in Basingstoke over the last year . The businessman , who also runs Stone 's Fine Jewellery in the Hampshire town , would not confirm the value of the theft but it is believed the items taken amount to tens of thousands of pounds . Mr Stone said : 'The police do not know the exact figure . I know my stock has gone missing over the past year – of course I do . ' Hampshire police said : 'The 21-year-old arrested man has been re-bailed pending further enquiries . He 's now due to return on bail on May 14 . ' Basingstoke and Dean Council said it had not been informed of the arrest and Ellery had not been suspended . Ukip refused to comment saying it was a family matter . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article .
Ukip candidate Matthew Ellery , 50 , handed son , Alan Stone , over to police . Discovered valuable stock taken from his antiques shop in Basingstoke . Mr Stone hoping to oust ex culture secretary secretary Maria Miller in May .