A pensioner is on trial accused of attempting to strangle a woman during a performance of the musical "We Will Rock You" after her companion told her to stop singing, a court heard.

Malcolm Potier, 74, allegedly placed his hands around the neck of Kirsty O'Donnell, 51, during a show at the London Coliseum on June 7, 2023. The court was told that Potier sat next to theatre critic Lizzie Loveridge, who confronted Ms. O'Donnell and her friend, saying, "Will you two shut the f*** up?"

According to prosecutors, when Ms. O'Donnell replied, "that's a bit rude," Potier allegedly responded, "I will show you what rude is." He is then accused of grabbing Ms. O'Donnell's neck with "intense pressure" for approximately three to four seconds.

Ms. O'Donnell, a mother of two, described the incident as leaving her in "shock, terror and just pure disbelief." She reported the event to theatre staff and filed a police report that same night.

Ms. Loveridge later wrote a review of the musical, noting the "behaviour of the audience," including "chattering all through as if they are at home watching their televisions" and "sing along audience members who inflict their mediocre singing voice on the rest of us."

Ms. Loveridge told police she did not know Potier and had given him her spare press ticket. However, investigators later triangulated her phone signal to confirm her presence at the venue. Potier's phone, meanwhile, remained in Hertfordshire, where he resides.

Ms. O'Donnell identified Potier and Ms. Loveridge after a fellow audience member, Louise Wallace, gave her a business card from Ms. Loveridge. Ms. Wallace had reportedly told Ms. O'Donnell that the alleged incident was "unacceptable" and encouraged her to report it.

Ms. O'Donnell later found Ms. Loveridge on Facebook, where photos of Potier appeared on her page, and also found the review on Ms. Loveridge's website, TheatreVibe. She told jurors she was "100 per cent sure" of her alleged attacker's identity, stating, "I don't forget faces, I instantly recognized him."

Potier, who was arrested on November 28, 2023, denies one count of assault by beating and one count of non-fatal strangulation, claiming he has been misidentified. The trial is ongoing.