Tomb Raider Composer Jailed for Covid Loan Fraud
Tomb Raider Composer Jailed for Fraudulent Bounce Back Loans
A composer who claimed too be working on a “re-imagining” of a Tomb Raider soundtrack has been jailed for 16 months after defrauding the government’s Bounce Back Loan Scheme. Peter Connelly, based in Peterlee, was found guilty of fraud at Durham Crown Court and has also been disqualified as a company director for six years.
Pandemic Project Collapse and Financial Ruin
Connelly’s company was reportedly engaged in a “notable project” involving a Tomb Raider soundtrack, which he believed had the potential to be “very lucrative.” however,the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought this ambitious project to a standstill. Facing financial hardship,Connelly resorted to selling his car and taking out personal loans to keep his business afloat. Tragically, his company, formerly known as Worldwide Sound Design and later Peter Connelly limited, was liquidated in August 2021, wiht none of the loans being repaid.
Exploiting Pandemic Support Schemes
The Insolvency Service, the leading body for investigating Bounce Back Loan fraud, highlighted Connelly’s deliberate misuse of the scheme. david Snasdell, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, stated, “Peter Connelly has obviously broken the rules of Bounce Back Loan Scheme, designed to support small and medium-sized businesses during the pandemic.”
Snasdell elaborated on connelly’s fraudulent actions: “Connelly not only secured two loans when companies were only entitled to one,but deliberately blew up the turnover in his company to get more money than he was entitled to.”
The Insolvency Service remains committed to prosecuting individuals who exploited the national crisis for personal gain. “Insolvency Service is the leading body for dealing with Bounce Back Loan, and we are still keen to ensure that scammers stole from the public during a national crisis situation are brought to court,” Snasdell added.
The specific Tomb Raider project Connelly was involved with in the early 2020s remains undisclosed.