Scotland Yard decision on former business managers

OAP pair to face court accused of stealing Orkney composer’s cash

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The former business managers of composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies have been accused of stealing almost £450,000 from him.

Scotland Yard revealed yesterday that Michael Arnold, 75, and his wife, Judith, 73, would appear at West London Magistrates Court on November 3 to face charges that they took £447,049 belonging to their former boss.

The couple managed the financial and business affairs of Orkney-based Master of the Queen’s Music, Sir Peter, for more than 20 years.

The charges follow a lengthy police investigation that began on Sir Peter’s home island of Sanday in September 2006 after the composer became concerned about proceeds he should have received from his work.

Officers from Northern Constabulary in Inverness carried out initial inquiries before passing the matter to the Metropolitan Police.

Mr Arnold, of Sneath Avenue, Barnet, was arrested in April last year and his wife was arrested three months later.

The alleged theft covers the period between April 1990 and September 2006 and is thought to involve the Maxopus classical music download website and other royalties.

Sir Peter, 74, has been a prolific composer since the 1960s and was made Master of the Queen’s Music in 2004. The role dates back to the 17th century and is an honorary position, similar to that of Poet Laureate.

Among his most recent compositions was a musical tribute to Karen Aim, the 26-year-old Orkney backpacker who was murdered in the New Zealand town of Taupo earlier this year. Miss Aim’s parents and brother were among the first to hear the piece at its world premier in St Magnus Cathedral in June, and said they were “surprised and humbled” by the gesture.