
Lucy Connolly case raised with White House
Police officers who searched her devices found other posts she had written. In one message, she joked that she would 'play the mental health card' if arrested.
Connolly, who has no previous convictions, also sent another tweet commenting on a sword attack, which read: 'I bet my house it was one of these boat invaders.'
The Court of Appeal judges said they did not accept that the original 31-month sentence was 'manifestly excessive'.
The judges also said they did not accept that Connolly had entered her guilty plea without fully understanding what it entailed.
The intervention comes as Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, has been forced to defend Britain's record of free speech which has become a point of tension with Trump administration officials.
During a firebrand speech at the Munich security conference, JD Vance, the vice-president claimed 'free speech in Britain and across Europe was in retreat'.
In a highly unusual step earlier this year, the US state department issued a statement saying it was 'concerned about freedom of expression in the United Kingdom' in relation to the case of an anti-abortion campaigner.
It said it was 'monitoring' the case of Livia Tossici-Bolt, who was prosecuted for holding a sign near a Bournemouth abortion clinic reading: 'Here to talk if you want.'
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
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