UK Free Speech Flashpoint: “Lucy’s Bill” Lets Public Challenge Harsh Sentences After Connolly Case

A new push to let the public challenge court sentences without expensive legal hurdles is gaining traction in Parliament, driven by the case of Lucy Connolly, a mother jailed for a fiery social media post.

Reform UK’s Richard Tice is spearheading the effort with a proposal he’s calling “Lucy’s Bill,” a piece of legislation that would empower ordinary citizens to petition the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) if they believe someone’s punishment is unjust, either too light or too severe.

If 500 people sign such a petition, the CCRC would be required to examine the case.

After an eight-week review, the Commission could send it on to the Court of Appeal for further scrutiny.

Tice sees this as a needed safety valve in a system where the public currently has no means to challenge excessive sentences, even though they can already request reviews of those deemed too lenient.

The bill is named after Lucy Connolly, who was sentenced in October 2024 to over two years in prison for a social media post.

Her comment, laced with fury and expletives, was swiftly deleted and followed by an apology. But it still landed her behind bars, a decision Tice believes reveals the creeping reach of politically motivated prosecution.

Connolly’s harsh sentencing has become a lightning rod that has drawn international attention to the UK’s severe erosion of free speech rights.

Connolly has reportedly been left with “bruises” after being “dragged up three flights of stairs” while serving her prison sentence, Tice has said.

Tice, who visited Connolly at HMP Peterborough, reported that the former childcarer has also been “stripped of privileges by prison officers.”

He claims that this treatment appears to be part of a broader pattern of punitive actions that are politically motivated, aimed at provoking a response from someone already under immense pressure.

“She’s been manhandled, left with bruises, and starved of food,” Tice has alleged, asserting this harsh treatment is designed to provoke her. He plans to visit Connolly at HMP Peterborough to check on her wellbeing and assure her that she hasn’t been abandoned by her supporters.

Tice argues that Connolly’s sentence was part of a broader trend of selective justice aimed at individuals with unpopular or politically sensitive views. “The whole point about justice in a democracy is that it must be seen to be natural and fair,” he said, as reported by The Telegraph.

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