Former Scottish laird sentenced to two years for strangling woman at London musical
Malcolm Potier, 75, received a two-year prison term after being convicted of non-fatal strangulation of Kirsty O'Donnell during a performance of We Will Rock You at the London Coliseum.
At Southwark Crown Court, Malcolm Potier, a 75-year-old former Scottish laird and chartered surveyor, was handed a two-year sentence for non-fatal strangulation of Kirsty O'Donnell, 51, during a live performance of We Will Rock You at the London Coliseum on June 7, 2023. The assault occurred while Potier sat beside his partner, theatre critic Lizzie Loveridge, editor of TheatreVibe, and was captured after Loveridge’s business card was recovered and used to trace Potier’s identity.
O'Donnell’s testimony emphasized the need to demonstrate that violence against women is unacceptable. Potier’s criminal history includes two earlier attempts to contract a hitman to kill the mother of his child, a failed plot while incarcerated in Australia, and the loss of his £5.4 million purchase of the Hebridean island of Gigha. He remained emotionless in court and his assets were previously seized by a Swiss bank following the collapse of his company.
