Politician's wife jailed for X post gets appeal date

The wife of a Conservative councillor who was jailed after she posted an online rant about migrants is due to have her appeal against the sentence heard on Thursday.

Lucy Connolly, from Northampton, posted on X that hotels housing asylum seekers should be set on fire on the day three girls were stabbed to death at a holiday club in Southport.

She was jailed for two years and seven months, but launched a challenge to the sentence.

Her case will be heard on Thursday.

Connolly, who was a childminder, is married to Ray Connolly, who lost his West Northamptonshire Council seat in this month's elections but kept his place on Northampton Town Council.

As well as calling for asylum seeker hotels to be set on fire, her X post sought "mass deportations now".

The post, published on the day of the Southport attack, was viewed 310,000 times before she deleted it.

She pleaded guilty to intending to stir up racial hatred.

Sentencing her, the Recorder of Birmingham, Judge Melbourne Inman KC, said Connolly was "well aware how volatile the situation was", adding that she had encouraged activity which threatened or endangered life.

She had also sent a tweet commenting on a sword attack, which read: "I bet my house it was one of these boat invaders."

Her appeal against the sentence will be heard at the Appeal Court in London.

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