Video game composer Peter Connelly, who is most famous for his work on the Tomb Raider games, has been jailed for committing fraud during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Connelly worked behind the scenes on multiple Tomb Raid projects which included Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider: Chronicles and the 2003 project Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness.
🎶 Peter Connelly, composer for Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation & Chronicles, shares his top tracks and explains how he blended orchestral and synthetic sounds for the soundtracks. 🎧 #TombRaider #TombRaiderRemastered pic.twitter.com/HC3wDEh1b6
— Tomb Raider (@tombraider) January 27, 2025
How did Peter Connelly commit fraud?
Connelly reportedly secured £22,000 from the government during the pandemic as a “Bounce Back” loan, before claiming the same type of loan at a different bank just over a month later.
For his second loan the 53-year-old claimed £37,500, despite the law only allowing for one per business owner.
That wasn’t Connelly’s only offense during the pandemic though, as he was also found guilty for lying about his company’s financial position.
While the company was worth just over £58,000 in 2020, Connelly stated that his business was worth in excess of £150,000.
The Lara Croft composer and sound designer explained to the government’s Insolvency Service that his role in reimagining the classic game’s sound was set to be one of his biggest projects yet and “had the potential to be lucrative” for his business.
Unfortunately for Connelly the work was delayed at the beginning of the pandemic and despite taking out multiple loans and selling his own car to finance the job, his company had gone into liquidation by August 2021.
What was Peter Connelly sentenced with?
Connelly was officially convicted at Durham court on July 17th, with David Snasdell, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service explaining the sentencing.
“Peter Connelly blatantly disregarded the rules of the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, designed to support small and medium-sized businesses during the pandemic.” Snasdell said.
“Connelly not only secured two loans when businesses were only allowed one, but deliberately inflated his company’s turnover to receive more money than he was entitled to.”
The composer has been banned from directing any company for six years and will now serve a 16 month prison sentence.