Ex-footballer Taiwo Leo Atieno seems in court docket charged with assaulting Sugababes singer Keisha Buchanan

Former soccer participant Taiwo Leo Atieno has appeared in court docket, charged with assaulting Sugababes singer Keisha Buchanan.

The 39-year-old, who performed for Luton City between 2010 and 2011 faces eight prices regarding Buchanan, they usually span throughout 13 years. He appeared in court docket in the present day through a video hyperlink from HMP Wormwood Scrubs and was not requested to enter pleas (through Sky News).

On the Harrow Crown Court docket case sitting at Southwark yesterday (June 5), Decide Ian Bourne KC granted his launch from jail on conditional bail. The circumstances state that he should give up his passport, not apply for worldwide journey, nor enter the London Borough of Barnet.

“There should not be any contact both instantly or not directly with the complainant Keisha Buchanan. Which means any type of contact, whether or not or not it's by electronic mail or different kind of social media messaging system – any contact in any respect,” the decide added.

Atieno’s legal professional mentioned that the ex-footballer “absolutely understands it, and assures the court docket by means of us that he'll abide by that”.

Atieno is charged with assaulting the singer and inflicting her bodily hurt between January 1 2012 and January 1 2015, in addition to controlling or coercive behaviour in direction of her within the interval between December 29 2015 and Might 1 2018.

It alleges that the athlete – who additionally performed for the Kenyan nationwide workforce – opened correspondences addressed to Buchanan, managed her funds, managed when she might go to the gymnasium and bathe, and didn't enable her to put on crimson lipstick.

These actions, the cost claims, got here “at a time when he knew or must have identified that the behaviour can have a critical impact” on her, and triggered the singer “critical alarm or misery”.

Atieno additionally faces prices of six counts of breaching a non-molestation order. These allegedly happened on July 18 and 20 final 12 months, when he posted details about the ‘Push The Button’ singer to a 3rd celebration on-line. Different accusations embody breaching the order by emailing Buchanan 4 instances final 12 months, on August 2, November 19, December 19 and December 23.

He is because of enter pleas on August 22 and his trial will start on April 13 subsequent 12 months.

Keisha Buchanan was a founding member of Sugababes and remained within the group from 1998 to 2009. After quite a few adjustments within the line-up, she, together with unique members Mutya Buena and Siobhan Donaghy, regained the rights to make use of the title in 2019 and reunited at Glastonbury in 2022.

Earlier this spring, they shared the one, ‘Weeds’, and performed their biggest-ever UK and European tour.