Lucy Connolly Appeals Jail Over Grief-Fuelled Tweet

Read more: WOMAN KILLED BY DOGS IN WOLVERHAMPTON: EMERGENCY SERVICES RUSH TO SCENE

The court heard that Connolly posted an apology some days later, stating in a follow-up message on X that she regretted her comments and now recognised they were “wrong in every way.” She said the decision to publicly apologise was partly driven by the fact that her husband had been drawn into the public controversy, adding: “He didn’t deserve to have his name dragged through the mud.”

In a further development, Connolly told the court she had not fully understood the legal implications of her guilty plea. She said that during discussions with her barrister at the Crown Court, Liam Muir, she had not realised that admitting guilt would amount to an acceptance that she intended to incite violence. “When I wrote that tweet there had been no violence and it was never my intention to cause any,” she repeated.

The Crown, opposing the appeal, argued that the sentence was both proportionate and necessary, given the gravity of the offence, the reach of the message and the timing — published on a day of national unrest and fear. Prosecutors submitted that while Connolly may not have actively intended for her words to lead to violence, the nature and language of the post, in the context of heightened public tension, made the risk of incitement more than theoretical.

The court was also reminded that the police, upon arresting Connolly on 6 August, recovered further messages from her seized mobile device that contained racist language, although those messages were not the subject of any separate charge. By that time, Connolly had already deleted her X account.

Read more: Leicester Man Jailed for 15 Years over Housemate Manslaughter

Outside the Royal Courts of Justice, Ray Connolly addressed reporters after the hearing.

he said. “It’s 279 days now my daughter’s been without her mother. I’m hoping that within a week she’ll be home and this will come to a positive conclusion.”

Ray Connolly lost his Conservative council seat on 1 May but remains a sitting member of Northampton Town Council. During Thursday’s hearing, a small number of Connolly’s supporters held a demonstration outside the court in central London.

The panel of judges concluded proceedings by stating that judgment was “reserved” and would be handed down in written form “as soon as possible.”

Well, that’s all for now. But until our next article, please stay tuned, stay informed, but most of all stay safe, and I’ll see you then.