A man who stalked Cheryl Tweedy has been sent back to jail after he breached a restraining order to not approach the star.
Daniel Bannister, 50, who repeatedly turned up at the home of former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl, has been jailed at Wycombe Magistrates’ Court for 16 weeks in total for the breach.
Bannister has already served three months in prison, the court heard, and could be released in a matter of weeks.
He admitted going to the 41-year-old’s Buckinghamshire home and ringing the bell at the gate on December 10 last year – weeks after Cheryl’s ex Liam Payne’s funeral – while banned from doing so by a restraining order.
Cheryl’s seven-year-old son Bear, who she welcomed with Payne, lives with the X Factor star in her home.
Bannister, who the court heard ‘can’t stay away’ from the singer, twice visited her home last year before being slapped with the order.
He spoke through an intercom system at the gate in January 2024, claiming he had ‘come to get Cheryl’, the court was told.
In July of the same year he again called at the house and said ‘I’m really thirsty, I just want a glass of wine please’.
Cheryl ‘immediately panicked’ when she spotted Bannister outside her home for a third time, and was concerned for her son Bear, the court heard.
Handing out the ruling, district Judge Arvind Sharma said Bannister knew the singer was ‘very distressed and upset’ by what he was doing.
He was sentenced for two counts of harassment relating to the breach of a restraining order, and one count of attempting to breach a restraining order.
Prosecutor Datta Ryan told the court that in January of last year, Bannister turned up at Cheryl’s home at around 7.30pm and said the chilling sentence about having ‘come to get Cheryl’.
‘She was terrified and contacted her security guard,’ the prosecutor told the court. ‘She felt violated, terrified and unsafe in her own home.’
In July of the same year, the singer was at home with her son and ‘called her brother’ when she saw Bannister outside again.
After the January and July incidents, Bannister was handed a restraining order as well as a four-month prison sentence in September, but he again turned up at the property in December.
‘The defendant has disregarded the victim and the court,’ Prosecutor Datta Ryan said. ‘He can’t stay away.’
Speaking about the December visit in a statement to police, the singer said: ‘I knew this was Daniel because I have had previous incidents where Daniel has come to my property.
‘I immediately panicked when I saw Daniel. I feared for my safety and my child’s safety. My son was due back from the cinema and I didn’t want him to see Daniel. I was concerned he was looking for a way into the property. I want to protect my child from any harm.’
Colin Mackrell, defending, described Bannister as a ‘serious musician’ who shares videos of himself performing online.
‘It’s clear Mr Bannister has formed an affectionate view of her,’ he said.
Speaking about the third visit to her home, Mr Mackrell said: ‘He wanted to sort things out to reassure her.’
Bannister asked the judge if he could read a statement to the court, but was advised not to by his lawyer.
Jailing him, Judge Sharma said: ‘You knew from the last case that she was very distressed and upset and you still chose to do that again.’
The judge also handed Bannister a new restraining order, banning him from contacting the singer.
Cheryl also described the death of the former One Direction star as ‘indescribably painful’, as she voiced fears about protecting their son.
Kathleen O’Callaghan of the Crown Prosecution Service said: ‘The unwanted attention of offenders like Daniel Bannister can leave victims feeling alarmed and fearful.
‘Bannister plainly disregarded a previous restraining order, and the Crown Prosecution Service argued these deliberate breaches were made more serious by the fact that they were committed so shortly after the order was made. As a result, Bannister now faces a longer prison term with an indefinite restraining order placed on him.’
In 2012 Bannister was jailed for two-and-a-half years for the manslaughter of his neighbour Rajendra Patel.
The incident took place at a hostel in Croydon. Bannister reportedly beat up Patel as he was walking towards a lift.
Your Local Guardian reported that Patel died 15 days later of pulmonary thromboembolism linked to the attack.
Judge Nicholas Price said at the time: ‘This is a tragic case. When you attacked Mr Patel you did not intend to cause serious bodily harm let alone cause death.
‘But the attack undoubtedly goes beyond one punch, it is a sustained attack or more or less 30 to 40 seconds.
‘It is clear you are not a danger to the public, but it is inevitable that you must serve an immediate custodial sentence.’
In March 2023 it was reported that Cheryl had upped her security after an incident with a stalker during her stint on the West End.
Her time starring in 2:22 A Ghost Story was apparently ‘tainted’ from ‘at least one nutter’ leaving ‘disgusting’ messages for her at the Lyric Theatre, where she performed every night.
‘There’s at least one nutter who has been sending some pretty disgusting and disturbing messages,’ a source told The Sun.
They continued: ‘She hasn’t been shown them but they’re included with the flowers people leave after performances.
‘Cheryl has enough to think about on stage to a packed theatre each night without having to think about that too, but steps have been taken to ramp up security and put her mind at rest.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.