Rocker who lost part of leg in motorcycle accident given suspended sentence for attacking fellow concertgoer

Alice Cooper may be notorious for rollicking sets in which fake blood, very large snakes and even electric chairs feature heavily.

But those sitting near fan Andrew Miller when the American rocker appeared at the Southampton Guildhall must have been left wondering if the gothic horror show had somehow spilled into the auditorium too.

Rather than just sitting and enjoying the gig or perhaps indulging in a bit of middle-aged headbanging, Miller showed his appreciation by removing his prosthetic leg – decorated with an Alice Cooper motif – and waving it around.

When he was asked if he wouldn’t mind desisting by John Lynch, who was sitting beside him in the front row of the balcony, 46-year-old Miller attacked him, leaving his victim needing hospital treatment.

Wearing a sober blue shirt, tie and jacket rather than his leathers, Miller, who lost part of his right leg in a motorcycle accident, appeared before a judge at Southampton crown court today.

He was given a six-month sentence suspended for 18 months and a three-month curfew confining him to his home at night. He was also banned from the Guildhall for 12 months, ordered to pay Lynch £250 compensation ‑ and told that he really ought to know better.

Sentencing him, the judge, John Boggis QC, told Miller: “It’s perfectly clear you were making an exhibition and a nuisance of yourself.

“Mr Lynch asked you to be still and confine yourself to your seat but you would not have it so you hit him and injured him. You thoroughly ruined his evening and this sort of behaviour is unacceptable – you are old enough to know that.”

The judge told the court that Miller had previous convictions for violence, theft and drugs.

Miller, of Emsworth, near Portsmouth, was found guilty of actual bodily harm last month. The court was told that during the gig, which took place in July last year, Miller had stripped to his waist and removed his leg. He had been “shouting and whooping” and thrusting his elbow into Lynch’s midriff.

Lynch, who works with adults and children with disabilities, asked Miller to calm down but was grabbed by his hair and punched in the face up to 10 times.

Miller claimed he acted in self-defence and had only punched Lynch after he had hit him with his own motorcycle crash helmet. He also said he removed his artificial limb because it was more comfortable to do so. He suffered bruising to his shoulder, elbow and cuts and bruises to his head while Miller suffered a fracture to his right hand.

Giving evidence during the trial, Lynch said: “Sitting next to him was not a great experience. During the interval I asked him politely if he could remain in his own seat. But he responded in an aggressive manner.”

The incident has been reported around the world in music magazines and on websites. But, of course, it has not put off Alice Cooper, the self-styled architect of shock rock. He is touring his All New Theatre of Death Show from the end of this month.