Councillor’s Wife Jailed for Inciting Racial Hatred After Southport Stabbings

A former childminder has been sentenced to 31 months in prison after pleading guilty to publishing material with the intent to incite racial hatred in the wake of the Southport stabbings. Lucy Connolly, the wife of Conservative councillor Raymond Connolly, made the inflammatory remarks on her social media account on the day of the incident, where three young girls were stabbed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside, on July 29, 2024.

Connolly, 41, took to her account on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, calling for “mass deportation now” and urging for hotels that house asylum seekers to be set on fire. “If that makes me racist, so be it,” she declared in a statement that quickly gained traction.

The now-deleted post was viewed 310,000 times and reposted by 940 users. It emerged amidst false online claims that the perpetrator of the stabbings was a Muslim asylum seeker, leading to unrest in various UK cities and towns.

Lucy Connolly, who apologised for acting on “false and malicious” information, was sentenced at the Crown Court. Her husband, Councillor Raymond Connolly, chose not to comment after the sentencing but mentioned in an earlier hearing that the post was entirely uncharacteristic for his wife.

Presiding over the case, Judge Melbourne Inman KC remarked on the divisive impact of the comments, stating that some individuals exploited the tragedy to foster division and hatred, particularly through social media channels, which incited disturbances across several locations.

The judge emphasized the severity of the situation, pointing out that Connolly’s statements had the potential to incite disorder and violence. The court also heard that on August 5, Connolly had sent a WhatsApp message downplaying the situation, jesting that the tweet “bit me on the arse, lol.”

Connolly, appearing via a video link from HMP Peterborough, is required to serve 40% of her sentence in prison before being released on licence. During the sentencing, it was also revealed she had tweeted on another incident, commenting on a sword attack, and speculating inaccurately about the identity of the perpetrator.