Peter Connelly, renowned for his contributions as a video game composer and sound designer on the *Tomb Raider Remaster* series and *Tomb Raider: Chronicles*, has been handed a 16-month prison sentence. This conviction arises from his fraudulent application for a government-backed COVID-19 support loan. Based in Peterlee, County Durham, Connelly illegally obtained a second “Bounce Back Loan” (BBL) amounting to £37,500 (approximately $55,000 USD) in June 2020. He achieved this by significantly overstating his company`s turnover, a direct violation of the loan`s terms which permitted only one loan per business. He had already secured a legitimate BBL of £22,000 the preceding month.
According to the UK Insolvency Service, Connelly falsely declared his company`s 2019 turnover as £150,000, when in reality, its earnings were just over £58,000. Additionally, he untruthfully claimed that he had not previously applied for a BBL. These deceptive actions prompted a criminal investigation by the Insolvency Service, the agency responsible for monitoring the appropriate use of COVID-19 relief funds.
During a recent court hearing, Connelly received his prison sentence and was also disqualified from serving as a company director for a period of six years. The Insolvency Service underscored the severe nature of his fraud, emphasizing that these loans were specifically designed to support struggling small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, not to be exploited for personal gain. Chief Investigator David Snasdell condemned Connelly’s “blatant disregard” for the established regulations.
In his defense, Connelly asserted that he had undertaken considerable financial risks to work on a high-profile project involving the re-imagining of the *Tomb Raider* soundtrack. He claimed to have sold his car and taken out personal loans in anticipation of the project`s success, which he also stated was disrupted by the pandemic. However, the court ruled that his financial difficulties did not justify engaging in fraudulent activities.
His company, Peter Connelly Limited, entered liquidation in August 2021, with neither of the two loans having been repaid. In June 2022, Connelly entered into an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA), agreeing to settle his outstanding debts through regular payments to an insolvency agency.