A nursery teacher married to a Conservative MP faces a “significant” prison sentence after admitting inciting racial hatred with inflammatory social media posts.
Lucy Connolly, 41, from Northampton, tweeted her views about hotels holding asylum seekers on the same day that three girls were stabbed to death at a dance class in Southport.
She said in X: “Let's do mass deportations right now and set fire to a hotel full of motherfuckers. If that makes me a racist, so be it.”
At a hearing on Monday, Connolly pleaded guilty to publishing threatening or abusive material with intent to incite racial hatred.
She is due to be sentenced within six weeks, with the judge warning her she faces a “significant” prison sentence.
Connolly was remanded in custody after his first court appearance on August 10 but pleaded guilty via videolink from Peterborough Prison.
Her husband, West Northamptonshire councillor Raymond Connolly, watched the hearing from the gallery. Vice-chair of the council's adult social care and health committee.
Lucy Connolly gave her defence during the hearing, which lasted seven minutes, and only spoke to ensure the judge could hear her.
Adjourning the case for sentence at Birmingham Crown Court on October 17, Judge Adrian Lucking KC told Connolly that an order for the publication of a pre-sentence report was not an indication of the expected sentence.
The judge said he was transferring the case to Birmingham to avoid the appearance of bias, given Connolly's husband's political standing.
Judge Lucking told her: “Sentence will be entirely for the judge to decide at the next hearing but it is likely to be a significant prison sentence and you will be remanded in custody during that time.”
Ms Connolly was a childminder who advertised her services on the social networking platform Childcare.co.uk.
of After hearing about the “highly inappropriate tweets,” the platform The company has taken steps to suspend Connolly as an advertiser.
Speaking outside court after pleading guilty, the husband added that the past few weeks had been “quite difficult” for his wife and children but that he was now “somewhat relieved”.
He said his wife regretted posting it and deleted it within two hours. “She knows she overstepped the line and there are consequences. I hope she can learn from this and move on with her life,” he said.
Connolly's case came on another busy day in English courts with the trials of people accused of taking part in the unrest and rioting that followed the Southport murders.
In Manchester, the trial of a 12-year-old boy involved in two separate disorderly incidents was postponed because his mother was on holiday in Ibiza.
District Judge Joan Hurst told Manchester Magistrates' Court she was “frankly surprised” that the mother had chosen to fly overseas for five days just a day before her 12-year-old son was due to appear in court to face a possible custodial period.
The boy, whose name could not be released because of his age, was accompanied to court by his uncle instead and was due to be sentenced on two charges of disorderly conduct.
He previously admitted being part of a mob that attacked a bus outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Manchester on July 31, and was involved in a second incident of disorder a few days later, on August 3, when a group were filmed kicking in the window of a vape shop and hurling a missile at a police vehicle.
Judge Hurst ordered the mother to serve a summons on him after the September 11 sentence is handed down, adding that he may also consider making a parenting order.
The judge said the boy “played a greater role in the recent civil unrest than any adult or child I have ever seen in this court.”
As he adjourned sentence, Judge Hurst told the boy: “Boys like you need a mother in their life and I want your mum here.”
