Lucy Connolly, the spouse of West Northamptonshire Conservative councillor, has been sentenced to 31 months in prison for inciting racial hatred on X during the day of the Southport attacks. Birmingham Crown Court heard that Connolly posted a message on July 29 stating: “Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the bastards for all I care… If that makes me racist, so be it.”
She informed a WhatsApp user that she would “play the mental health card” if apprehended.
The Recorder of Birmingham Judge Melbourne Inman KC, while passing sentence, commented on the Southport stabbings: “Some people used that tragedy as an opportunity to sow division and hatred, often using social media, leading to a number of towns and cities being disfigured.”
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After acknowledging that Connolly’s post on X, which encouraged attacks on hotels, had been viewed 310,000 times, the judge stated: “When you published those words you were well aware how volatile the situation was. That volatility led to serious disorder where mindless violence was used.”
(Image: PA)
The judge further noted that Connolly – who remained composed on the prison video-link – had promoted activity that threatened or endangered life. The court was informed during the sentencing hearing that the 41 year old former childminder, married to councillor Raymond Connolly, sent a WhatsApp message on August 5 joking that the tweet to her 10,000 followers had “bitten me on the arse, lol.”, reports the Mirror.
Opening the case, prosecutor Naeem Valli revealed that Connolly had messaged about continuing her childminding work “on the sly” after being de-registered, stating: “She then goes on to say that if she were to get arrested she would play the mental health card.”
The court also heard how Connolly, with no prior convictions, had made a tweet about a sword attack, saying: “I bet my house it was one of these boat invaders.”
Another post by Connolly, reacting to a video shared by Tommy Robinson, read “Somalian I guess” and featured a vomiting emoji. In court via video-link from HMP Peterborough, with her husband in the public gallery, Connolly’s defence, led by Tom Muir, highlighted her tragic loss of a child and the unique circumstances of her social media use, noting that the incendiary tweet was sent before any violence against asylum seekers occurred.
Muir added: “The horrendous way in which she lost her son, being turned away from the health service, can only have a drastic detrimental effect on someone. Whatever her intention was in posting the offending tweet, it was short-lived and she didn’t expect the violence that followed, and she quickly tried to quell it.”
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