Laurie Connell
| Laurie Connell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 |
| Died | 27 February 1996 |
| Criminal penalty | 5 years imprisonment |
| Conviction(s) | Perverting the course of justice |
Lawrence Robert ('Laurie') Connell (1946 – 27 February 1996) was a Western Australian business entrepreneur. He was well known for his dealings with the Government of Western Australia and his close relationships with a former premier of Western Australia, Brian Burke, and Alan Bond during the WA Inc period in the mid to late 1980s as chairman of the Rothwells merchant bank.
In 1994, Connell was jailed for conspiring to pervert the course of justice by paying a jockey to leave the country.
He was the grandson of a long-serving Western Australia Police Commissioner, Robert Connell (1913–1933).
Connell was reportedly warned off by stewards in 1975 for involvement in a betting scam at the Kalgoorlie races. Despite this, he became well connected with the Perth racing establishment and, in 1984, he sought election to a position on the committee of the WA Turf Club with the support of the committee's retiring chairman Sir Ernest Lee-Steere.
At the January 1983 AHA Cup in Bunbury, jockey Danny Hobby jumped from his mount Strike Softly. Hobby later claimed he jumped after accepting a bribe of $5,000 from Connell to do so.
Almost a decade later, it was alleged that Hobby was paid over $1 million by Connell to travel around the world for several years to avoid returning to Australia and facing an inquiry. Ultimately Hobby did return and Connell was tried and sentenced to five years' jail for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice during the investigation into the horse race. Hobby received a three-year term. Found not guilty of fixing the race, Connell served one year in jail before receiving a work-release.
In the 1987 two-mile Perth Cup, Connell's horse Rocket Racer ridden by leading Western Australian jockey J. J. Miller won the race by nine lengths and couldn't be pulled up, doing nearly another lap of the course. Connell had backed the horse initially at long odds down to a 2/1 favourite and was believed to have collected $500,000 from bookmakers as well as the $210,000 prizemoney for the win. After the race he drinks for the members' bar for several hours.
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