A childminder married to a Conservative councillor has been sentenced to 31 months in prison for inciting racial hatred on social media following the Southport attacks. Lucy Connolly, 41, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court after pleading guilty to the charge of publishing a social media post that stirred up racial hatred against asylum seekers.
Connolly, the wife of West Northamptonshire Conservative councillor Raymond Connolly, posted a tweet on X (formerly Twitter) calling for hotels housing migrants to be set on fire, in the wake of the Southport knife attacks. In her now-deleted post, Connolly wrote, “Mass deportation now, set fire to all the fing hotels full of the b***s for all I care…” She also added, “If that makes me racist, so be it.
The incident led to widespread outrage, with Connolly’s post being viewed more than 310,000 times. The tweet came during a time of heightened tension and misinformation, following the Southport attacks which were wrongly blamed on an Islamist migrant, sparking violence and riots across England.
Judge Melbourne Inman KC, who presided over the case, said Connolly’s post had contributed to inciting hatred and violence. When you published those words, you were well aware of how volatile the situation was. That volatility led to serious disorder where mindless violence was used,” the judge stated. He added that Connolly’s actions had encouraged activity that could have endangered lives.
Connolly’s husband, Councillor Raymond Connolly, who serves as vice-chair of West Northamptonshire Council’s adult social care committee, was present in court but declined to comment on the sentencing.
In a statement following the sentencing, Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit, said, “It is not an offence to have strong or differing political views, but it is an offence to incite racial hatred – and that is what Connolly has admitted doing.
Connolly has since issued a public apology, stating that she acted in “a moment of extreme outrage and emotion” after receiving false information. She expressed regret for her actions and acknowledged the seriousness of her post.
The case has further fuelled discussions about the responsibility of individuals in sharing and spreading hate speech online, particularly in times of national crisis. Connolly’s sentence is seen as a significant warning to those who use social media platforms to spread messages of hate and violence.
Connolly’s post was among many that contributed to unrest across the country, with cities experiencing riots and violent disorder. A number of other individuals have also been charged and sentenced for spreading similar messages.
