Tory councillor’s spouse bragged she would ‘play mental health card’ over race hate submit | EUROtoday

The spouse of a Conservative councillor who used social media to fire up racial hatred in opposition to asylum-seekers on the day of the Southport assaults instructed a WhatsApp consumer she would “play the mental health card” if she was arrested.

Lucy Connolly was jailed on Thursday for 31 months for inciting racial hatred.

The 41-year-old, who’s married to West Northamptonshire councillor Raymond Connolly, had posted a message on X (Twitter) that learn: “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”, Birmingham Crown Court was instructed.

Then, every week later, the previous childminder despatched a WhatsApp message joking that the tweet to her 10,000 followers had “bitten me on the arse, lol”.

Prosecutor Naeem Valli mentioned Connolly additionally despatched a message saying she supposed to work her discover interval as a childminder “on the sly” regardless of being deregistered.

Mr Valli added: “She then goes on to say that if she were to get arrested she would play the mental health card.”

The Recorder of Birmingham, Judge Melbourne Inman KC, mentioned Connolly was “well aware how volatile the situation was” when she posted the tweet, which was considered 310,000 instances in three-and-a-half hours earlier than she deleted it.

He mentioned: “That volatility led to serious disorder where mindless violence was used.”

The choose added that Connolly had inspired exercise which threatened or endangered life.

He mentioned of the Southport stabbings: “Some people used that tragedy as an opportunity to sow division and hatred, often using social media, leading to a number of towns and cities being disfigured.”

Connolly was ordered to serve 40 per cent of her 31-month sentence earlier than being launched on licence.

Last month she admitted publishing threatening or abusive materials desiring to fire up racial hatred.

The courtroom was instructed that Connolly, who has no earlier convictions, additionally despatched tweeted a touch upon a sword assault which learn: “I bet my house it was one of these boat invaders.”

Another submit she despatched – commenting on a video posted by Tommy Robinson – learn “Somalian I guess” and was accompanied by a vomiting emoji.

Connolly appeared earlier than Birmingham Crown Court through a video-link to HMP Peterborough.

Liam Muir, defending, mentioned Connolly had misplaced a baby in horrific circumstances and was distinguished from different offenders utilizing social media in that she had despatched the tweet on the coronary heart of the case earlier than any violence in opposition to asylum-seekers had began.

Mr Muir mentioned: “The horrendous way in which she lost her son, being turned away from the health service, can only have a drastic detrimental effect on someone.

“Whatever her intention was in posting the offending tweet, it was short-lived and she didn’t expect the violence that followed, and she quickly tried to quell it.”

Connolly issued an apology for her submit earlier than her arrest, saying she had acted on “false and malicious” details about what was behind the stabbing to dying of three younger ladies in Southport in late July.