Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for 31 months over a tweet ahead of last summer’s riots, has again been refused temporary leave to spend time with her daughter and sick husband. The Telegraph has the story.
Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for 31 months for inciting racial hatred in a tweet, has been told by prison bosses she will not be released on temporary licence (Rotl) despite being described by one prison expert as an “ideal candidate” for such home leave.
Documents seen by the Telegraph have previously suggested the 42 year-old childminder from Northampton faced being refused Rotl amid concerns over public and media interest in her case rather than any apparent failure to meet the criteria for temporary release.
In her plea for Rotl, Connolly cited a deterioration in her 12 year-old daughter’s school behaviour which is “totally out of character” and the stress being placed on her sick husband, Ray, a Tory councillor, who is suffering from bone marrow failure.
A HM Prison Service spokesman declined to comment on individual cases but said: “To be eligible for temporary release, prisoners must be compliant with all prison rules.”
The prison service refused to say why Connolly had been rejected for Rotl but noted there are rules that dictate any contact with the media needs to be signed off by the prison governor.
Adam King, Connolly’s barrister, who is leading her legal attempt to appeal against her sentence, said: “We don’t have the full details but this strikes me as very unfair and needs to be challenged.”
Connolly’s husband said: “I am very disappointed that my wife Lucy has yet again been denied Rotl. I’m disappointed this is what our country is becoming. Our 12 year-old daughter is struggling and she needs her mummy at home.
“This decision is not based on evidence in my opinion. Lucy is a good and kind person who has been a model prisoner. She has helped other inmates on the path to reform.
“Lucy has been entitled to Rotl since November but they have turned down every request. It’s not nice to think they’ve got it in for Lucy but when she sees other prisoners who have done far worse crimes – like killing a child by dangerous driving – getting out, you think they’re still making an example of her.
“Lucy was really calm when they told her she didn’t get Rotl this time and would only be able to apply again in 12 weeks. Lucy has asked to be transferred back to Peterborough prison which is much nearer us. I hope they grant that so I can take our daughter to see her mummy once a week.”
Rotl is not a straightforward legal right but is considered a privilege. Prisoners can appeal against a decision through the jail’s internal complaints procedure and ultimately to the prisons and probation ombudsman. It cannot, however, be typically challenged in court but inmates can sue for alleged abuse of prison powers. …
The only offenders who are excluded under prison rules include category A prisoners, many serving time for violent, terrorist and sexual crimes; those formally listed as escape risks; and suspects facing extradition. …
Richard Tice, Deputy Leader of Reform UK, said: “Lucy is a political prisoner and this decision confirms it; utterly disgraceful.”
Worth reading in full.
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First Comment!
Nicely done guys!
And about time too! What took you so long?
APRIL FOOLS!
I was just remarking to my wife this morning that the humourless woke brigade have shut down April Fools Day.
Thank you DS!
Interesting the thumbs down for celebrating an April Fools Day joke.
Yes I noticed that too, he/she/they/them must have wandered onto the wrong site by mistake! Bless, ……”it’s tik tok you want my love”
Might I suggest looking up the “lockpicking lawyer” on youtube. His usual fare is exposing the flaws in commercial locks by picking them open in moments, but his April Fool videos are legendary, and based mostly on in depth innuendo. Based in the US, this years will be posted this afternoon.
Very disappointing that Section 2 of the application form only allows for Mr, Mrs, Ms, Miss, or Doctor. As a person proud of my fluid gender, pronouns, and intellect, I find it personally offensive that the form only allows me to select one pronoun at a time and fails to list any of the 1042.3 neo-pronouns that are in common usage in the offenderati community. I will however overlook this if you can give me a guarantee that should I be successful in this very senior and frankly obviously critical role you will provide me with a supply of full PPE including gloves and hazmat suits and that any staff members of the Daily Sceptic with whom I am required to interact will be wearing 3 masks (minimum) and will disinfect their keyboards immediately prior to any online calls and meetings at which I am present.
I identify as a fish. Some nasty people think this is odd.
And fishy?
// “Lockdowns were a disaster.”
“There is no climate emergency.”
“Men cannot have babies.”
If you can spot the problems with the above sentences, then you may be just the person we are looking for. //
I immediately spotted a host of problems with all three of these statements, but I am far too sensitive to point them out.
Love it!!!!
I have almost zero sensitivity, but my skill is to be able to diagnose a range of psychological afflictions purely by my sense of smell.
I am the only(*) practitioner in the UK who is able to detect Up-Yourself-Itus from fifty paces.
I really hope you find all the Little People and Fatties you require. However fyi, in my view Skinnies will require far fewer biscuits and their fingers are much slimmer, so much cheaper and way better for typing out weak April-fools gags.
Not too shabby though
* A spurious footnote, completely unrelated to the topic but obliquely referencing an opinion once published by someone who works for a big company who therefore sounds really convincing, despite their weak credentials
I’m happy to self declare that I meet all the criteria, and should therefore get the job. Otherwise you will be sued for self-self-discrimination.
To work at the Daily Sceptic – even though all employees work from home – you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19
That twigged it for me – clear April Fool’s wind up. I thought all DS employees were based in Toby’s West London garden shed and had to attend every QPR home match.
To tell the truth though, I posted April Fool’s in the comments here the last couple of years, but completely forgot about it this year. Maybe adversity brings out humour.
I got it as soon as I saw the headline!
If it was April 1st, 2020 however, there was stuff going on that appeared like April Fool’s pranks, but were in fact genuine!
Oh dear, it took you that long!?
April Fool! Nah, actually saw it at the start.
Nice try from the DS Team, but April Fool pieces do have to be just a little bit plausible.
Btw, QPR lost at Wigan today. Bottom-of-the table Wigan. On a bad run of form and getting a bit uncomfortable for them. But I expect Toby knows that …
I’m personally recommending this lady for the job. I think she ticks all the boxes;
https://twitter.com/TheEyes2022/status/1609561930791878657
I have a friend who is violent, bigoted, everything-phobic and white, but he identifies as woke. Can he apply?
Please let us know how many applicants there were…
I’ve just stubbed my big toe and I can confirm that I’m VERY sensitive.
Gie’us a job please. I can do that.
Oh, I’ve just realised I don’t tick any of the diversity and inclusion boxes…..you’ve left out freckled gingers. I’m SO sensitive I’m now going to hide under the duvet all day.
You’re SO anti-Gingers! I withdraw my application.
Harry?
Welcome to titanosaur world. Offer expires at midday.
Hilarious. ————But only because it is based what is really going on in Wokeland.
Well there’s an April fools foth thee sir!
Thal light nor fire in yonder grate coss chimleys all blocked up!
There’s a world crisis emergency death spiral happening! It’s actually happening Reg! …I’m off to slash up!
April fool!
…and I mistakenly thought the previous article on “The NHS is in Crisis – So Why is it Hiring Diversity Managers on £55,000 a Year?“ was the April 1st joke
Come on guys, April Fool’s jokes generally have some sort of believability about them! There is no way in the whole universe that the DS would consider anything other than employing an ‘Insensitivity Reader’
Excellent and very funny. A small gripe. For essential requirements you say this.
City and Guilds Grade 5 or above in Sensitivity Reading
A bit late but it would have been better to use Open University, as that is an academic institute while City and Guilds is for vocational and practical learning. Sensitivity Reading is not a practical subject! All our problems have come from elevating academic thinking so that it is generally perceived to be superior to vocational and practical thinking, and that perception has been driven by the academics. I could imagine Open University, or any University having a degree course in this and there wouldn’t be low grades as that would be non-inclusive.
My Ph.D in Sensitivity Studies and my Nobel Prize for Wokeness make me the ideal candidate. Which makes me much too sensitive for actual work, so I must regretfully decline your generous offer. But have a Happy April Fool’s Day!
You must be the new Hyper-Sensitivity Reader? A vegan equivalent because getting to the meat of a subject is cruel, causes the Climate Emergency, causes AnnaPhilArctic shocks and it’s cultural appropriation because all knowledge has been stolen from Indigenous Women.
Brilliant! Done just in time, at 12:00am as well!
Dam. I was going to apply. Then I woke up.
Happy and fun April Fools day everyone!
Is it true that Nicola Sturgeon has applied?
There is indeed a “Climate Emergency” —-I opened the back door this morning and the climate blew right in and scared the dog half to death. I used to think climate change was a load of old cobblers but now I know “it is real and happening now”. Why else would my dog run all the way upstairs? I would like to see some dog data to confirm my hypothesis.
I was starting to worry until I realised the date. I may have had to apply as the necessary fatty to even out the staff levels, until I realised I might not be the only one and may have balanced the scales too heavily on our side.