Cheryl Tweedy stalker jailed again after restraining order breach

A man who stalked Cheryl Tweedy has been jailed for 12 months for breaching a restraining order after turning up at her home in Buckinghamshire for the fourth time.

Daniel Bannister, 50, who has previously served time for the same offence, appeared at Reading Crown Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to the single charge of breaching a restraining order. A fresh order not to contact Tweedy was imposed, and Judge Alan Blake told Bannister that the singer “does not wish any contact with you” and that he had shown defiance to the court order. The judge urged him to draw a line under the behaviour.

The case arose from Bannister’s appearance at Tweedy’s rural home on June 19, when he arrived by taxi at about 10 p.m., rang the intercom twice and peered over the gate, the court heard. The incident marked the fourth time Bannister had gone to the property during the roughly 18 months of the restraining order’s existence.

Bannister has a lengthy and troubling history. In 2012 he killed Rajendra Patel, 48, at a south London YMCA shelter and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He has since accumulated multiple offences, including stalking and several breaches of restraining orders. In March, he was jailed for 16 weeks at Wycombe Magistrates’ Court for repeatedly turning up at Tweedy’s Buckinghamshire home while under a restraining order. He had previously been jailed for four months in September last year, a sentence that carried a three-year restraining order; Bannister breached it by visiting the property again in December.

Prosecutors told the court that Tweedy, a high-profile celebrity living with her seven- or eight-year-old son Bear, did not know Bannister and had never invited him to her address. Bannister had previously claimed that he believed Tweedy had invited him to her home via Microsoft Teams and viewed security channels as giving him access. A victim impact statement from Tweedy described how she and her family felt increasingly anxious and fearful when Bannister appeared outside their home. She said she had to hire personal security and that the prospect of Bannister’s return “terrifies her and the family.”

During the proceedings, Bannister’s defence said he had worked as a musician and had trained as a figure skater, though a psychiatric report found no mental health or substance abuse issues. Judge Blake commented that Bannister’s continued conduct, despite being of sound mind, was a serious concern and said Tweedy’s wish to have no contact should be respected. He ordered Bannister to serve the 12-month sentence for the breach and to adhere to the new restraining order, warning that noncompliance would likely result in longer custody.

The case has additional resonance for Tweedy, who has spoken publicly about the pain of losing former partner Liam Payne last year in Buenos Aires and the impact of safeguarding her family amid public scrutiny. In her statement to the court, Tweedy described the visits as leaving her “stunned” and “on edge,” noting that repeated trespass made her eight-year-old son Bear frightened.

Bannister’s solicitor Allen Wellington said his client had hoped to pursue a career in music and previously trained as a high-level figure skater, but circumstances diverted him from that path. The court heard a psychiatric assessment found no criminally motivated mental illness, and no evidence of substance misuse. The judge underscored that Bannister must comply with the restraining order and avoid any future contact with Tweedy, stressing that failure to do so could mean longer confinement.

This is a developing story, and further details from the court proceedings may be published as they become available.