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A man has been sentenced to two years in prison after strangling a woman during a 2023 performance of the Queen musical We Will Rock You. Malcolm Potier, who previously served time in Australia over hiring a hitman to murder his ex-partner’s new boyfriend, was convicted by a jury for non-fatal strangulation.
My London reports that the 75-year-old grabbed Kirsty O’Donnell by the neck during a performance at the London Coliseum. His partner, Lizzie Loveridge, had told O’Donnell quiet down as she sang along during the show. As she replied “That’s a bit rude,” Potier responded “I’ll show you what rude is” as he started strangling her neck.
In court, O’Donnell told the judge that she now lives in fear that he will come after her in the future after learning of his criminal past. The judge then imposed a restraining order on Potier, restricting him from ever contacting O’Donnell or coming near her home.
O’Donnell states that she and her friends were moved to seats next to Potier and Loveridge mid-way through the show. They “noticed Ms Loveridge was hushing people, demanding for them to be quiet” before she said to them “Will you two shut the f*** up?” which prompted the altercation.
The strangling lasted for “three to five seconds, with more intense pressure for the first one or two seconds.” She was able to ask him to let go, which he did shortly after. O’Donnell was reportedly in such a state of shock and fear that she felt she was unable to report him at the time.
O’Donnell later found Loveridge on Facebook, which led to the arrest of Potier in November 2023.
He originally denied being involved in the attack, stating that he did not remember attending a performance of We Will Rock You and claimed that another man had taken his seat. However, after he decided to not provide proper evidence, he was convicted by the jury.
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