Tory councillor's wife will STAY in jail for urging rioters to ‘set fire to migrant hotels' after appeal thrown out
A TORY councillor's wife will stay in jail after urging rioters to set fire to migrant hotels in a social media rant.
Lucy Connolly posted the sick comments on her X account just hours after three girls were knifed to death in Southport, Merseyside.
Advertisement
4
Lucy Connolly urged rioters to set migrant hotels alight
4
The childminder published the comments on her X account
Credit: x.com/@LJCJ83
The 41-year-old childminder wrote: "Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care...
"If that makes me racist, so be it."
She was jailed for 31 months in October after admitting publishing threatening or abusive material intending to stir up racial hatred.
Connolly launched bid against her sentence but this was today thrown out by Court of Appeal judges.
Advertisement
They ruled "there is no arguable basis on which it could be said that the sentence imposed by the judge was manifestly excessive".
Connolly shared a call to arms following the deaths of Bebe King, six, nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, in Southport on July 29.
Posts wrongly claimed monster Axel Rudakubana was a Muslim asylum seeker when he was actually born in Cardiff and raised Christian.
Riots erupted across the country as thugs clashed with police and targeted hotels housing asylum seekers.
Advertisement
After her post, Connolly sent a WhatsApp joking it had "bitten me on the a**e, lol".
She also said if she were to get arrested over it, she would "play the mental health card".
Connolly is married to Raymond Connolly, who is Conservative vice chair of the committee on adult social care at West Northamptonshire Council.
He defended his wife after she pleaded guilty - saying the case had been "traumatic" for her and their three children.
Advertisement
Mr Connolly revealed their son died in 2012 after a series of NHS blunders so when his wife sees any child get harmed, "she will kick off".
The councillor also branded Connolly "an upset housewife" and "just a middle aged mother" who got dragged into the situation by misinformation spreading online.
He added: "The stuff I hear is not really Lucy, she's probably the opposite of what she's having to admit to but she knows she's overstepped the mark and there's consequences for it," he said.
"Hopefully she'll be able to learn from this and move on with her life."
Advertisement
Connolly also tried to make a U-turn on her vile comments - claiming she was acting on "false and malicious" information.
But the Crown Prosecution Service said she told police she did not like immigrants in her custody interview.
Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS special crime and counter terrorism unit, said: 'During police interview Lucy Connolly stated she had strong views on immigration, told officers she did not like immigrants and claimed that children were not safe from them.
"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.
Advertisement
"The prosecution case included evidence which showed that racist tweets were sent out from Mrs Connolly's X account both in the weeks and months before the Southport attacks – as well as in the days after.
"Connolly wrongly thought that she could escape justice by hiding behind a screen, but today she has pleaded guilty and admitted her crime. She will now face the consequences of her actions."
4
Connolly was jailed for 31 months last October
Credit: PA
4
Raymond Connolly defended his wife
Credit: PA
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
'Hyperbolic word salad': Row breaks out as Reform UK politician urges Scots council to rule out low emission zone
Councillor Jamie McGuire labelled the schemes in four Scottish cities as "little more than cash cows" in a blistering statement. A row has broken out after a Reform UK politician urged Renfrewshire Council to rule out ever introducing congestion charges or a low emission zone (LEZ). Councillor Jamie McGuire labelled the schemes as "little more than cash cows" and said the local authority "must have no part in this" in a blistering statement. But the elected member for Renfrew North and Braehead has been accused of "hyperbolic word salad" on an issue that was settled almost two years ago. In September 2023, the SNP administration confirmed it was not considering the introduction of an LEZ in Paisley or any other part of Renfrewshire at a full council meeting. Councillor McGuire, who defected from Labour to Nigel Farage's Reform in June, said: "Scotland's four main cities already have LEZs in place and their experience should be a warning. "These schemes have acted as little more than cash cows, generating income for councils while hitting those who can least afford it. "People on the lowest incomes, who are far more likely to drive older vehicles, have been penalised simply for trying to get to work, take their children to school or care for relatives. "Renfrewshire must have no part in this. A congestion charge or LEZ in our towns would be a hammer blow to local households and businesses. We are a working community that depends on accessible, affordable transport. "Many residents travel across Renfrewshire for work, education, and caring responsibilities, while small enterprises rely heavily on vans and cars to serve customers and move goods. "Imposing extra charges on them is not just unreasonable, it risks undermining our local economy and making it harder for people to live and work here." He added: "The SNP-led Renfrewshire Council must act now to rule out – clearly, unequivocally and permanently – ever introducing either a congestion charge or a low emission zone in our area. "Residents deserve certainty, not the constant threat of new charges hanging over them." Councillor Jim Paterson, SNP convener of the planning and climate change policy board, claimed Councillor McGuire was "trying to raise his profile" with the comments. The elected member for Renfrew South and Gallowhill said: "Another day, another fabricated outrage from Councillor McGuire. "The position of the SNP administration and indeed Councillor McGuire on this issue was settled in 2023 when the Conservative group called on the council to rule out establishing any form of LEZ in Paisley and wider Renfrewshire for the duration of this council term. "The SNP position along with a Labour amendment was agreed then by the vast majority of councillors which stated that the council would not consider the introduction of a low emission zone (LEZ/ULEZ) in Paisley or any other parts of Renfrewshire. That position remains unchanged. "Councillor McGuire, like his newfound political hero Nigel Farage, may like to trade in misinformation but to imply that there has been any change to the agreed position of 2023 is just nonsense and to suggest there is a 'constant fear' hanging over residents is just hyperbolic word salad from a councillor desperately trying to raise his profile to secure the top spot in his party's internal list for Holyrood 2026."
The National
an hour ago
- The National
JD Vance hosting Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick during UK holiday
The US vice president invited the Tory shadow justice secretary to join him in Oxfordshire on Tuesday and will also meet with the Reform UK leader, The Telegraph reports. A Tory spokesperson told the paper that Kemi Badenoch and Vance had discussed meeting but 'just couldn't make it work with schedules'. READ MORE: Top author says Nicola Sturgeon book launch could 'seriously' harm his sales Jenrick, widely seen as a potential future Tory leader, had a one-on-one chat with Vance at an 18th-century Georgian manor in the Cotswolds before the pair went to a drinks event. It will further fuel speculation that Jenrick (below) is coming for Badenoch's job as Conservative leader. She took over from Rishi Sunak following last year's historic election defeat. Her time at the top has seen her criticised for failing to make a mark, while Jenrick's energetic campaigning has often directed the news agenda. READ MORE: JK Rowling responds as Nicola Sturgeon blames her for 'vile' gender row abuse Vance is himself tipped as a successor to Donald Trump, who is barred from running for re-election once his second presidential term is up in 2029. His meeting with Farage, who is seen as a likely candidate for Britain's next prime minister, may be read as a sign he is preparing for the eventuality both ascend to the highest political office in their respective countries. Vance is expected to visit Scotland in the coming days.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
JD Vance meets Robert Jenrick in Cotswolds
US Vice-President JD Vance is meeting Conservative shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick at the house where he is staying during his holiday in the BBC has been told Vance's team invited Jenrick to a private meeting with the vice-president in the Cotswolds on and his family are visiting the area in south-west England for their summer break away from Washington BBC has approached a Vance spokesperson for comment. Vance arrived in the UK last week and met David Lammy for talks about Gaza and other international affairs at the foreign secretary's official residence, Chevening House, in Kent on vice-president is not due to meet Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who was speaking to business owners in the Isle of Wight on Tuesday.A Conservative spokesman said aides for Badenoch and Vance had been discussing a meeting but "just couldn't make it work with schedules".Badenoch met Vance last year when she was in Washington DC and had dinner with the who was defeated by Badenoch in the Tory leadership contest last year, will be meeting Vance for the first time in the Tory shadow secretary of state and Vance have taken similar positions on a range of policy issues, from immigration to free speech. Vance's trip has included several official engagements, meetings and visits to cultural the weekend, Vance and his family enjoyed a guided tour of Hampton Court Palace, the former home of Henry in the hamlet of Dean in Oxfordshire have faced disruption, with police closing roads for the vice-president's village and a manor house in the area have been under heavy security since Vance's arrival on Sunday vice-president has been pictured at a farm shop, near Chipping Norton, close to the home of the former UK Prime Minister Lord David trip comes before US President Donald Trump, who travelled to Scotland for a private visit in July, is scheduled to make a historic second state visit to the UK next month.
