Lucy Connolly, a 41-year-old former childminder, has been sentenced to 31 months in jail after pleading guilty to publishing material intended to stir up racial hatred. Connolly made the post on her X account (formerly Twitter) in response to the Southport stabbings.
The Offensive Post
Connolly’s post called for “mass deportation now” and encouraged setting fire to hotels housing asylum seekers. She added, “If that makes me racist, so be it.” The post, viewed 310,000 times and shared by 940 other users, was made on 29 July—the same day three young girls were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside.
False information claiming that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker quickly spread online, leading to riots and unrest in several cities across the UK.
Apology and Court Case
Connolly later apologised, admitting she had acted on “false and malicious” information. Despite this, she was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court for publishing content that incited racial hatred. Her husband, West Northamptonshire councillor Raymond Connolly, declined to comment after the sentencing, stating in an earlier hearing that the post was out of character for his wife.
Judge’s Statement
Judge Melbourne Inman KC condemned Connolly’s actions, saying, “Some people used this tragedy to sow division and hatred through social media, resulting in disorder in many towns and cities.” He emphasised that Connolly was aware of the volatile situation and had incited violence and hatred, which endangered lives.
Additional Details
The court heard that Connolly had sent a WhatsApp message on 5 August, joking about the fallout from her post, saying it had “bit me on the arse, lol.” In another tweet, she made comments about a sword attack, implying it was committed by a refugee.
Connolly, who appeared via video link from HMP Peterborough, will serve 40% of her sentence in prison before being released on license.
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