Tory councillor gives bizarre excuse after wife jailed for horrific tweets during far-right riots

Lucy Connolly was jailed this week for inciting hatred successful the aftermath of the Southport attacks, erstwhile she posted connected X saying the hotels hosting asylum seekers should beryllium "set fire" to

The wife of a Tory councillor jailed for stirring up up racial hatred successful the aftermath of the Southport attacks is to entreaty her sentence, arsenic her hubby spoke retired with an unusual excuse.

Lucy Connolly, who is joined to West Northamptonshire councillor Raymond Connolly, posted a connection connected the evening of July 29 which read: "Mass deportation now, acceptable occurrence to each the f****** hotels afloat of the b******* for each I care, portion you're astatine it instrumentality the treacherous authorities and politicians with them.

"I consciousness physically sick knowing what these families volition present person to endure. If that makes maine racist truthful beryllium it."

She was arrested connected August 6, by which constituent she had deleted her societal media account, but different messages including much racist remarks were uncovered by officers. On Thursday she was jailed for 31 months erstwhile she appeared via a video-link from HMP Peterborough astatine Birmingham Crown Court.

Speaking out, Cllr Connolly gave an unusual excuse arsenic helium pointed retired this was the couple's archetypal scrape with the instrumentality - different than a erstwhile driving incident. He told MailOnline: “Lucy had a velocity consciousness people but that was it betwixt the brace of america successful presumption of transgression record.

“This is each caller to america and caller ground. But Lucy has been done worse things, truthful this volition beryllium hard but she has been done worse. She volition beryllium appealing and I volition enactment the judicial process of immoderate they determine to do."

On Thursday, Judge Melbourne Inman said Connolly was "well alert however volatile the concern was" erstwhile she posted connected X, which was viewed 310,000 times successful the three-and-a-half hours it was unrecorded earlier she deleted it He said: "As everyone is aware, the volatility led to superior upset successful a fig of areas of the state wherever mindless unit was utilized to origin wounded and harm to wholly guiltless members of the nationalist and to their properties."

Opening the case, authoritative Naeem Valli said Connolly, who has nary erstwhile convictions, besides sent different tweet commenting connected a sword onslaught which read: "I stake my location it was 1 of these vessel invaders."

Liam Muir, defending, said Connolly had mislaid a kid successful horrific circumstances. He said: "The horrendous mode successful which she mislaid her son, being turned distant from the wellness service, tin lone person a drastic detrimental effect connected someone. Whatever her volition was successful posting the offending tweet, it was short-lived, and she didn't expect the unit that followed, and she rapidly tried to quell it."

Passing condemnation Judge Inman said: "Sadly this is 1 of a fig of cases this tribunal has had to woody with arising from civilian unrest pursuing the precise tragic events successful Southport connected July 29. As everyone is alert immoderate radical utilized that calamity arsenic an accidental to sow part and hatred, often utilizing societal media, starring to a fig of towns and cities being disfigured by mindless and racist violence, intimidation and damage.

"It is simply a spot of our nine that it is some divers and inclusive. There is ever a precise tiny number of radical who volition question an excuse to usage unit and upset causing injury, damage, nonaccomplishment and fearfulness to wholly guiltless members of the nationalist and sentences for those who incite radical hatred and disharmony successful our nine are intended to some punish and deter."