The wife of a former Conservative county councillor has had her jail sentence upheld after she made an online rant about migrants on the day of the Southport attacks.
Lucy Connolly, 42, was handed a 31-month sentence after admitting making a post on X in the hours after three girls were stabbed and killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
In response, she had tweeted to her 9,000 followers: “Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care, while you’re at it take the treacherous government and politicians with them.
“I feel physically sick knowing what these families will now have to endure. If that makes me racist so be it.”
It was viewed 310,000 times in three-and-a-half hours before Connolly deleted it.
During a hearing last Thursday at the Court of Appeal, she said that she “never” intended to incite violence and did not realise pleading guilty would mean she accepted that she had.
Giving evidence from HMP Drake Hall in Eccleshall in Staffordshire, Connolly had written the post on 29 July when she was “really angry, really upset” and that she knew how the parents felt.
She said: “Those parents still have to live a life of grief. It sends me into a state of anxiety and I worry about my children.”
The court heard that Connolly’s son died tragically around 14 years ago, and that news of the murders of the children in Southport had heightened her sensitivity.
When asked why she had deleted the post three and a half hours after posting it, Connolly added: “I calmed myself down, and I know that wasn’t an acceptable thing to say. It wasn’t the right thing to say, it wasn’t what I wanted to happen.”
In the aftermath of the stabbing, anti-immigration riots broke out across the country with mosques, homes and businesses targeted. Over 1,200 people were arrested while over 130 police officers were injured between 30 July and 5 August 2024.
Adam King, representing Connolly, asked if she had intended for anyone to set fire to asylum hotels, or “murder any politicians”.
She replied: “Absolutely not.”
However, the prosecution had argued that the post was a reflection of her attitude towards immigrants. When she was arrested on 6 August, she had deleted her social media account but other messages which included further racist remarks were recovered on her phone.
Naeem Valli, for the prosecution, asked Connolly if she believed the country was being “invaded” by immigrants.
She replied: “I believe that we have a massive number of people in the country that are unchecked, coming into the country and I believe that is a national security risk.”
She added that it would be “absolutely incorrect” to say she did not want immigrants in the country.
The former childminder, who is married to Raymond Connolly, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court last October after pleading guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred.
Mr Connolly had been a Tory West Northamptonshire district councillor but lost his seat in May. He remains on the town council.
