Cheryl Tweedy terrorised by convicted killer stalker who turned up at home three weeks after Liam Payne’s funeral
CHERYL Tweedy has been stalked by a convicted killer who turned up at the home she shares with her son Bear.
The singer has secretly been facing a stalking hell which has continued even after the tragic death of her former partner Liam Payne.
Daniel Bannister, who killed a man in an attack at a homeless hostel, has been convicted of causing the Girls Aloud star “serious alarm” after going to her country mansion in Buckinghamshire.
Bannister was sent to prison for manslaughter for 30 months after he attacked a man who died of his injuries in 2012.
The 49-year-old has been found to be “displaying fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repetitive behaviour” towards Cheryl which he knew would cause her distress.
He was put behind bars for four months in September for an offence in July and handed a three-year restraining order meaning he cannot contact Cheryl, enter Buckinghamshire, or attend her address.
But in December he is alleged to have returned to her house in the country she shares with seven-year-old Bear, court documents show.
Bannister, who has no fixed address, has been charged with breaching his restraining order by entering the county of Buckinghamshire on December 10.
He is then said to have turned up at “an address where you knew or believed Cheryl Tweedy was present”, which is another separate breach.
Bannister also attempted to contact Cheryl either directly or indirectly, which he was prohibited from doing.
Bannister pleaded guilty to the three offences in December and has been sent back to prison before his sentencing on January 30.
In 2012 Bannister pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Kingston Crown Court after assaulting 48-year-old Rajendra Patel at a south London YMCA shelter.
Following the alleged attack in February of that year, Mr Patel returned to hospital on March 9 and died the following day.
A post-mortem report gave the cause of death as pulmonary thromboembolism, deep vein thrombosis of the left thermeral vein, and a fracture to the left ankle.
Bannister, who was 37 at the time, was due to go on trial for murder but the Crown Prosecution Service accepted the lesser plea of manslaughter.
The two men, who both lived at the shelter, were said to have an ongoing feud at the time of the attack.
CCTV showed Bannister punching and kicking Mr Patel in the hostel as the victim went towards a lift.
Jailing Mr Bannister, his honour Judge Nicholas Price said in 2012: “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.”
He was sentenced to 30 months in prison on October 9 2012.
The stalker hell comes after Cheryl had to up her security when she was performing in 2:22 A Ghost Story on the West End last year.
Her team were said to be on “red alert” after she was left menacing messages with flowers outside the theatre.
Cheryl’s former partner Liam tragically died aged just 31 in Buenos Aires, Argentina after falling from his third floor hotel balcony.
At the time the Girls Aloud star said in an emotional statement, Cheryl previously said: “As I try to navigate this earth shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I’d like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being.
“Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7 year old son.
“A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”
She added: “Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them.
“Please give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last.”
Inside Liam Payne and Cheryl's romance
By Joanne Kavanagh, Showbiz Reporter
It was a romance that caused a media storm.
One Direction hunk Liam Payne was only 14 when he met former X Factor judge Cheryl during the show in 2008.
But it wasn’t until 2016 – when the Girls Aloud singer was divorcing her second husband – that the pair got together despite their ten-year age gap.
The couple made their relationship official in May of that year when they appeared at Eva Longoria’s Global Gift Gala in Paris.
In 2017, Liam paid a sweet tribute to his girlfriend by getting a tattoo of her eye on his arm.
Cheryl was pregnant at the time and gave birth to a boy on March 22, 2017.
She posted a picture on Instagram of Liam cradling their 7lb 9oz baby and captioned: “On Wednesday Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy looking like a dream.”
One pal told The Sun: “Liam didn’t leave Cheryl’s side throughout the birth, and like her, he is besotted with their new son and can’t wait to take him home.
“This is the perfect Mother’s Day for Cheryl.”
The Sun revealed in May 2017 that the couple named their son Bear.
They decided on the unusual name after spending a week getting to know him.
In February 2018, The Sun broke the news that Liam’s constant travelling to promote his solo career had placed a huge strain on the relationship, and the pair were ready to split.
That same month, Cheryl said “none of it matters” as she shrugged off questions about her crumbling romance with Liam during a BBC Breakfast interview.
They then put on a united front together at the Brit Awards where they smiled on the red carpet and Cheryl joked about the couple’s ‘safe word’.
However, by July 2018, Cheryl and Liam made the decision to split.
A pal told The Sun: “Cheryl and Liam worked really hard on their relationship – they had troubles earlier this year and were able to get through them.
“But they’re in different stages of their lives and, after a lot of careful thought, came to a decision that it’s best for everyone if they do go their separate ways.”
Liam and Cheryl released a statement confirming their break-up which read: “We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It’s been a tough decision for us to make.
“We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.”