Lucy Connolly, 41, a childminder married to a Conservative councillor, has been sentenced to 31 months in prison for a social media post calling for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set on fire following the Southport knife attack. The post, made on the day three children were killed, was viewed 310,000 times and included expletive-ridden demands for “mass deportation now”.
Connolly pleaded guilty in September to intending to stir up racial hatred. At Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, Judge Melbourne Inman KC noted she was “well aware of how volatile the situation was” and that her message contributed to serious disorder. The court heard she later sent a WhatsApp message saying she would “play the mental health card” if arrested.
Connolly is married to Raymond Connolly, a Conservative councillor for West Northamptonshire, who watched from the public gallery. He previously said he would not resign, describing the situation as “quite traumatic for Lucy and the children”. Connolly must serve 40% of her sentence before release on licence.
On the same day, Simon Orr, 39, of Tamworth, was jailed for six years and 17 weeks for rioting after the Southport attacks. He pleaded guilty to riot and assaulting a female police officer, and also encouraged others to attack a hotel in Tamworth. Police have made 150 arrests in connection with disorder in Stoke-on-Trent and Tamworth.
