Malcolm Potier, a 74-year-old former Scottish laird, has been found guilty of non-fatal strangulation after attacking a woman who was singing along to the musical "We Will Rock You" at the London Coliseum on June 7, 2023. Potier, who had previously hired hitmen on two occasions to murder his child's mother, faces a potential jail term of up to five years.
The incident occurred when Potier, seated next to theatre critic Lizzie Loveridge, reacted aggressively to Kirsty O'Donnell, 51, and her friend Charlotte Goss, who were singing along to the show. After Loveridge told the women to be quiet, Potier leaned over and applied intense pressure to O'Donnell's neck for several seconds, reportedly saying, "I will show you what rude is."
Potier, originally from Sarratt, Hertfordshire, was convicted on Friday and will remain in custody until his sentencing on September 10. This conviction adds to a history of violence. In 2002, Potier was jailed in Australia for soliciting a hitman to murder his child's mother and her partner. While in a detention center, he paid an inmate £4,600 to carry out the killings. Upon his release, the hired assassin fled to Italy with the money. Potier's sentence was extended by 12 years when he later devised another plot to kill the woman while in prison, enlisting an undercover officer posing as a hitman.
Potier's past also includes owning the Hebridean island of Gigha, which he purchased for £5.4 million in 1989, outbidding Mick Jagger. He lost the island and his estimated £30 million fortune after his company collapsed. Amid a custody battle, he also abducted his daughter from Australia using false passports in 1999.
Following his release from Australian prison in 2015, Potier returned to London. He was placed under a Violent Offender Order that prohibited contact with his ex-girlfriend, who was reportedly in a worldwide witness protection program.
During the trial, O'Donnell described being in "shock, terror and just pure disbelief" after the assault. She stated that she and her friend were not being unusually loud and that others around them were also singing. After the pressure on her neck eased, she asked Potier to let go. She remained in her seat until the end of the show to avoid passing him.
Loveridge and Potier left the theatre during the encore. Loveridge later wrote a critical review of the musical, noting audience behavior. O'Donnell identified Potier to the police, aided by a business card from Loveridge given to another audience member, Louise Wallace. Wallace also testified that Loveridge had been complaining about audience members using their phones and had told someone to "shut the f*** up."
Potier was arrested on November 28, 2023, but initially released on medical grounds. He later attended a voluntary interview where he made no comment to questions and claimed he had been misidentified. The prosecution argued that an innocent person would have immediately sought to clear their name. Potier did not call any witnesses to explain his whereabouts during the incident.