Former Northampton childminder, Lucy Connolly, jailed for racist Tweet to appeal against sentence
A former Northampton childminder, who was jailed for a racist Tweet in the aftermath of the Southport murders, will appeal against her sentence.
Lucy Connolly, of Parkfield Avenue, will appear at the Court of Appeal in London on Thursday (May 15), according to online court listings.
The 42-year-old, who is the wife of former Conservative Councillor Raymond Connolly, will appeal against her 31-month prison sentence, which was handed to her after she pleaded guilty to one count of publishing material intending to stir up racial hatred.
The charge relates to a post on social media platform X, which Connolly posted on July 29, 2024, in the aftermath of the Southport murder, where three young girls were stabbed to death. The now-deleted Tweet called for mass deportation and suggested setting fire to hotels housing immigrants, in response to misinformation shared following the murders.
Connolly was charged in August 2024, before pleading guilty in September. She was then sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court – where she appeared via video link from HMP Peterborough – on October 17, 2024.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Melbourne Inman told Connolly: “When you published these words you were well aware how volatile the social climate was. The volatility led to serious disorder [across the country] where violence was used against innocent victims.
“Your message was widely read. It was viewed 310,000 times, 940 retweets.
“Police were able to trace other tweets from before and after the tweet in question that included racist remarks.
“You intended to incite serious violence.
“You did encourage activity which threatened or endangered life, you also achieved widespread dissemination by posting on social media.
"It's clear from the evidence in the days following your actions what you said to the police that you had little insight into or acceptance of your actions."
Connolly’s post was also shared by Northampton father-of-three Tyler Kay, who was sentenced in August 2024 to 38 months after admitting to publishing material intended to stir up racial hatred.
Lucy Connolly’s husband, Raymond Connolly, lost his seat on West Northamptonshire Council after local elections earlier this month. He is, however, now a councillor for the Briar Hill ward on Northampton Town Council.