Lucy Connolly, who was imprisoned for inciting racial hatred following the Southport terror attack, is reportedly due to be freed from jail.
Connolly, whose husband Raymond Connolly serves as a Conservative councillor, will walk free on Thursday after receiving a 31-month custodial sentence last year, according to the Telegraph. She had written on X on the day three children were murdered by Axel Rudakubana in Southport: “Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the bastards for all I care… if that makes me racist so be it.”
She admitted guilt to inciting racial hatred by publishing and distributing “threatening or abusive” written material on X and was imprisoned at Birmingham Crown Court in October last year. The news comes the day after the evil Southport killer was given back luxury jail perks after chucking boiling water over guard.
Connolly’s punishment has faced criticism for being excessively severe, though Sir Keir Starmer stood by it earlier this year.
Appeal challenge
The Prime Minister was questioned in May regarding Connolly’s situation after her Court of Appeal challenge against her prison term was rejected.
When asked during Prime Minister’s Questions whether her incarceration represented an “efficient or fair use” of prison, Sir Keir responded: “Sentencing is a matter for our courts, and I celebrate the fact that we have independent courts in this country.
“I am strongly in favour of free speech, we’ve had free speech in this country for a very long time and we protect it fiercely.
“But I am equally against incitement to violence against other people. I will always support the action taken by our police and courts to keep our streets and people safe.”
Connolly’s post was viewed 310,000 times in three-and-a-half hours before she deleted it.
Free Speech Union
Lord Young of Acton, founder and director of the Free Speech Union, said: “The fact that Lucy Connolly has spent more than a year in prison for a single tweet that she quickly deleted and apologised for is a national scandal, particularly when Labour MPs, councillors and anti-racism campaigners who’ve said and done much worse have avoided jail.
“The same latitude they enjoyed should have been granted to Lucy.”