Latest news with #HarrowCrownCourt
South Wales Guardian
5 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
Former footballer ‘assaulted Sugababes star and banned her wearing red lipstick'
Taiwo Leo Atieno, 39, faces eight charges relating to his ex-girlfriend, Ms Buchanan, during an approximately 13-year period. The former Luton Town and Kenya national team player appeared via video link from HMP Wormwood Scrubs wearing a suit and tie. He was not asked to enter pleas and Judge Ian Bourne KC granted his release from prison on conditional bail during the Harrow Crown Court case sitting at Southwark on Thursday. Atieno, from Brixton, south London, is charged with assaulting the founding Sugababes singer between January 1 2012 and January 1 2015 causing her actual bodily harm. He is also charged with controlling or coercive behaviour against Ms Buchanan between December 29 2015 and May 1 2018. The charge alleges that he opened Ms Buchanan's correspondences, would not let her wear red lipstick, and that he controlled her finances and when she could go to the gym or shower. The charge claims this caused Ms Buchanan 'serious alarm or distress which had a substantial adverse effect' on her 'usual day-to-day activities'. He is accused of doing this 'at a time when he knew or ought to have known that the behaviour will have a serious effect' on her. Atieno is also charged with six counts of breaching a non-molestation order, twice by allegedly posting information about Ms Buchanan to a third party online on July 18 and July 20 last year. He is also accused of breaching the order by emailing Ms Buchanan on August 2, November 19, December 19 and December 23 2024. His bail conditions include that he must surrender his passport by Monday afternoon. The judge said: 'There must not be any contact either directly or indirectly with the complainant Keisha Buchanan. 'That means any form of contact, whether it be by email or other sort of social media messaging system – any contact at all'. Julian Malins KC, defending, said his client 'fully understands it, and assures the court through us that he will abide by that'. Atieno was also told not to apply for international travel or to enter the London Borough of Barnet. He is due to enter pleas on August 22 this year and his trial is set for April 13 2026. Ms Buchanan was a teenager when she became one of the original members of the Sugababes with Mutya Buena and Siobhan Donaghy in 1998. Donaghy left in 2001 and was replaced by Heidi Range. Buena was replaced by Amelle Berrabah in 2005 and Buchanan, the final original member, was replaced by Jade Ewen in 2009. The founding trio regained the right to use the Sugababes name in 2019 and reunited in 2022 to perform at Glastonbury Festival.
Leader Live
5 days ago
- Leader Live
Former footballer ‘assaulted Sugababes star and banned her wearing red lipstick'
Taiwo Leo Atieno, 39, faces eight charges relating to his ex-girlfriend, Ms Buchanan, during an approximately 13-year period. The former Luton Town and Kenya national team player appeared via video link from HMP Wormwood Scrubs wearing a suit and tie. He was not asked to enter pleas and Judge Ian Bourne KC granted his release from prison on conditional bail during the Harrow Crown Court case sitting at Southwark on Thursday. Atieno, from Brixton, south London, is charged with assaulting the founding Sugababes singer between January 1 2012 and January 1 2015 causing her actual bodily harm. He is also charged with controlling or coercive behaviour against Ms Buchanan between December 29 2015 and May 1 2018. The charge alleges that he opened Ms Buchanan's correspondences, would not let her wear red lipstick, and that he controlled her finances and when she could go to the gym or shower. The charge claims this caused Ms Buchanan 'serious alarm or distress which had a substantial adverse effect' on her 'usual day-to-day activities'. He is accused of doing this 'at a time when he knew or ought to have known that the behaviour will have a serious effect' on her. Atieno is also charged with six counts of breaching a non-molestation order, twice by allegedly posting information about Ms Buchanan to a third party online on July 18 and July 20 last year. He is also accused of breaching the order by emailing Ms Buchanan on August 2, November 19, December 19 and December 23 2024. His bail conditions include that he must surrender his passport by Monday afternoon. The judge said: 'There must not be any contact either directly or indirectly with the complainant Keisha Buchanan. 'That means any form of contact, whether it be by email or other sort of social media messaging system – any contact at all'. Julian Malins KC, defending, said his client 'fully understands it, and assures the court through us that he will abide by that'. Atieno was also told not to apply for international travel or to enter the London Borough of Barnet. He is due to enter pleas on August 22 this year and his trial is set for April 13 2026. Ms Buchanan was a teenager when she became one of the original members of the Sugababes with Mutya Buena and Siobhan Donaghy in 1998. Donaghy left in 2001 and was replaced by Heidi Range. Buena was replaced by Amelle Berrabah in 2005 and Buchanan, the final original member, was replaced by Jade Ewen in 2009. The founding trio regained the right to use the Sugababes name in 2019 and reunited in 2022 to perform at Glastonbury Festival.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Sugababes star's footballer ex in court after allegedly beating singer
Sugababes star Keisha Buchanan's footballer ex-boyfriend appeared in court today after he allegedly assaulted the singer on three occasions. He is also accused of coercive and controlling behaviour over an alleged ten-year campaign of harassment. Taiwo Leo Atieno, 39, has been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm between January 2012 and January 2015, controlling and coercive behaviour between December 2015 and May 2018, harassment between January 2021 and December last year, and an an alleged breach of a non-molestation order. The Brixton-born professional footballer, who has made appearances for Kenya in the qualifiers for the World Cup and African Club of Nations, appeared via video link this morning from HMP Wormwood Scrubs wearing a suit and tie. He was not asked to enter pleas and Judge Ian Bourne KC granted his release from prison on conditional bail during the Harrow Crown Court case sitting at Southwark on Thursday. Singer Buchanan, 40, dated the former Luton Town player between 2015 and 2018 and went to the police about his alleged "course of conduct over a ten-year period" in December 2024. His bail conditions include that he must surrender his passport by Monday afternoon. The judge said: "There must not be any contact either directly or indirectly with the complainant Keisha Buchanan. That means any form of contact, whether it be by email or other sort of social media messaging system - any contact at all". Julian Malins KC, defending, said his client "fully understands it, and assures the court through us that he will abide by that". Atieno was also told not to apply for international travel or to enter the London Borough of Barnet. He is due to enter pleas on August 22 this year and his trial is set for April 13 2026. A court heard last month that Atieno is said to have assaulted Buchanan on three occasions, one so severely that it left her requiring physiotherapy treatment. One incident saw Buchanan suffer a sharp pain to her lower back – which she described as feeling as though she had been kicked. The footballer is also accused of controlling her letters, her finances, what the singer ate and how she presented herself to people outside of the home. He also stands accused of harassing her after she called off their relationship and breached a court order which was put in place to prevent him from contacting her. During a hearing at Willesden Magistrates' Court in May, Prosecutor Edward Kalber said: "The offending is severe in its nature and has caused problems for the defendant, both psychological and physical." He added: "The complainant states that while she lived with the defendant, she wasn't allowed to open her own letters or sort out her finances. "The complainant would have to ask for money whenever she wanted it." It was later heard that Atieno would get frustrated if Buchanan wore certain things. Kalber continued: "The defendant would get annoyed if the complainant wore red lipstick. He berated her and called her trashy, and told her she looked like a prostitute whenever she wore this. "This then fed into her dietary issues, due to the defendant controlling what she was allowed to eat." The footballer is also accused of not allowing Keisha to watch TV. Two alleged assaults on Buchanan took place in the defendant's bedroom, with another taking place in the front room of the property. He allegedly grabbed her around the neck, punched her on the arm and then struck her back. One alleged attack left her experiencing a sharp pain which felt like a kick to her lower back, and she later required physiotherapy due to the alleged incident. Buchanan also claims that Atieno controlled her use of the shower while the pair were living together and she was only allowed to go to the gym at "certain times". Despite Buchanan blocking Atieno after they split, it's claimed he later sent her emails and is accused of harassment over the course of three years. He also allegedly demanded £25,000 from the musician. The footballer of Kennington, southwest London, has been remanded in custody and previously indicated not guilty pleas to all four charges made against him.
