Former Northampton childminder jailed for two-and-a-half years for racist tweet

Lucy Connolly, the wife of West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) Conservative councillor Raymond Connolly, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court this afternoon (Thursday, October 17), where she appeared via video link from HMP Peterborough.

The 41-year-old, of Parkfield Avenue, Northampton, was charged in August with publishing material intending to stir up racial hatred and later pleaded guilty in September.

Her now-deleted tweet called for mass deportation and suggested setting fire to hotels housing immigrants, in response to misinformation shared following the Southport murders. The offence took place on the social media platform X on July 29.

On Monday, September 2, she pleaded guilty to the charge via video link from HMP Peterborough. At that hearing, Judge Adrienne Lucking said that mother-of-three Connolly should expect a “substantial” custodial sentence.

The sentencing took place at Birmingham Crown Court to prevent any potential issues related to local bias given Raymond’s position as a councillor, the Judge Lucking said last month.

Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit, previously said: “Using threatening, abusive, or insulting language to incite racism online is unacceptable and against the law.

"During her police interview, Lucy Connolly stated she held strong views on immigration, admitted she did not like immigrants, and claimed that children were not safe from them. While having strong or differing political views is not an offence, inciting racial hatred is – and that is what Connolly has admitted to doing.

"The prosecution presented evidence that showed Mrs Connolly’s racist tweets were sent from her X account both in the weeks and months before the Southport attacks, as well as in the days following.”

Connolly’s post was also shared by 26-year-old father-of-three Tyler Kay, who was sentenced in August to 38 months after admitting to publishing material intended to stir up racial hatred.