Stalker and convicted killer who left Cheryl Tweedy 'terrified' by turning up at her home jailed
by Olivia Sheed · ChronicleLiveThe man who “terrified” Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy by repeatedly turning up to her home has been jailed.
Daniel Bannister, 50, admitted going to the 41-year-old singer's Buckinghamshire home and ringing the bell at the gate on December 10th 2024, while under a restraining order. Bannister, who the court heard "can’t stay away" from the singer, visited her home twice before being issued with the restraining order.
The first offence was after ringing the bell in January 2024, after which he spoke through an intercom system at the gate, claiming he had "come to get Cheryl". Prosecutor Datta Ryan told the court that "She was terrified and contacted her security guard. She felt violated, terrified and unsafe in her own home."
In July of the same year he again called at Cheryl's home and said: "I’m really thirsty, I just want a glass of wine please". The prosecutor told the court "The defendant was standing outside her property and remained there."
Cheryl “immediately panicked” when she spotted Bannister outside her home for a third time, and was concerned for her seven-year-old son Bear, the court heard.
After the January and July incidents, Bannister was handed a restraining order as well as a four-month prison sentence in September. Still, he turned up at the property in December. "The defendant has disregarded the victim and the court" Ms Ryan said. "He can’t stay away."
In a statement to police about the December visit, the singer said, "I knew this was Daniel because I have had previous incidents where Daniel has come to my property. I feared for my safety and my child’s safety.
"I was concerned he was looking for a way into the property. I want to protect my child from any harm.”
Jailing him for 16 weeks at Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on Friday, District Judge Arvind Sharma said Bannister knew the singer was "very distressed and upset" by his actions.
Bannister pleaded guilty in 2012 to manslaughter at Kingston Crown Court after assaulting Rajendra Patel, at a south London YMCA homeless shelter. After an attack in February of the same year, Mr Patel returned to hospital on March 9. He tragically died just one day later.
In the latest case the court heard that Bannister, who his lawyer described as a “serious musician,” has already served three months in prison and could be released in a matter of weeks. On Friday, 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.
The singer’s former partner Liam Payne died last year in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after falling from his third-floor hotel balcony. She 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."
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