A woman previously imprisoned for inciting racial hatred claims she is being threatened with a return to jail after probation officials took issue with her recent activity on social media.
Warning Letter Over Retweet and Interview
Lucy Connolly, a 42-year-old former childminder from Northampton, says she received a formal warning letter from the probation service. The warning concerned a post she retweeted on X, formerly Twitter, and an interview she gave to GB News.
The retweet in question appeared to joke that former US President Donald Trump should remove Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a manner similar to the US operation against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Connolly was also warned about comments she made during a GB News interview last month regarding activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah.
Connolly, who was released from prison last August after serving 40 per cent of a 31-month sentence, is serving the remainder of her term on licence. This means she can be recalled to prison if she breaches her release conditions or commits further offences before her licence period ends.
'I Don't Know What Is Okay to Say'
Speaking on Dan Wootton's Outspoken show, Connolly expressed confusion and frustration over the boundaries of her permitted speech. "I am at the stage now... I generally don't know what is okay by their standards to say and what is not," she stated.
She confirmed receiving the warning letter, which stated her actions were "not of good behaviour," adding, "none of which I'm in agreeance with." Connolly described the retweet as a tongue-in-cheek comment and said probation had "b****cked" her after someone complained they were offended and claimed it was inciting violence.
"I'm genuinely at the point now where I feel like, can you just give me a list of things that I am allowed to say?" she asked. "Because every time I say something that you don't agree with or that you don't find funny, you're threatening to recall me to prison."
Contrast with Alaa Abd El-Fattah Case
Connolly contrasted her situation with that of Alaa Abd El-Fattah, the activist who returned to the UK after detention in Egypt. Old social media posts of his, which appeared to call for violence, later attracted criticism.
While discussing his case on GB News on December 29, Connolly questioned why he was allowed into the country. "He's targeting Jews... And we deem it acceptable in this country to ship in another one, another person to hate on them," she said.
She told Wootton this comparison was "100 per cent" evidence of a "two-tier society." Abd El-Fattah has since apologised for his past posts.
Background and Legal Position
Lucy Connolly was originally jailed in October 2024 for stirring up racial hatred against asylum seekers following the Southport murders. Her sentence was 31 months. A bid to appeal her sentence was dismissed in May 2025.
She was released automatically after serving 40 per cent of her term and will remain under probation supervision until the sentence concludes. Her husband is former West Northamptonshire Conservative councillor Raymond Connolly.
The Ministry of Justice has declined to comment on individual cases. The situation highlights ongoing tensions between probation licence conditions, the right to free speech, and the monitoring of offenders' public statements in the UK.
