The footballer ex-boyfriend of Sugababes singer Keisha Buchanan has appeared in court ahead of a trial next year over allegations he assaulted, harassed and controlled her.
Taiwo Leo Atieno, 39 – who once played for Luton Town and the Kenyan national team – is accused of repeatedly assaulting the chart-topping star, banning her from wearing red lipstick, and controlling her every move, from what she ate to when she could shower.
The alleged abuse, said to have occurred between 2015 and 2018, included three physical assaults, one of which left Buchanan in so much pain she required physiotherapy.
The singer, now 40, told police the ex-pro striker also dictated her finances, her diet, her personal grooming, and even her TV choices – in what prosecutors described as an ‘oppressive and controlling relationship’.
Today, at a preliminary hearing at Southwark Crown Court, Atieno was granted bail under strict conditions ahead of a five-day trial set to start on April 13 next year.
Appearing via videolink from HMP Wormwood Scrubs, he spoke only to confirm he understood the conditions of bail.
Atieno must surrender his passport, abide by a strict curfew and live at his home address until his trial.
He is also forbidden from leaving England and Wales, applying for any travel documents, or having any contact whatsoever with Ms Buchanan — including via email or social media.
The court heard that a £10,000 surety had been offered by Mark Taylor, a friend of Atieno’s for 25 years. He will also remain subject to a GPS-monitored exclusion zone covering the London Borough of Barnet.
Atieno, of Kennington, south-west London, appeared at Willesden Magistrates’ Court last month, where he denied all the allegations.
During the May 8 hearing, prosecutor Edward Kalber told the court: ‘This defendant has conducted a campaign of terror and abuse against this complainant for over ten years.
‘While she lived with him, she wasn’t allowed to open her own letters or control her finances. She had to ask for money when she wanted it. He dictated when she could shower or use the gym, what she could watch, and what she could eat.’
The court also heard Atieno berated Buchanan over her appearance, allegedly branding her ‘trashy’ and comparing her to a prostitute when she wore red lipstick.
One alleged assault, said to have taken place in his bedroom, left her with a sharp pain in her lower back – ‘like a kick’, she claimed.
Another alleged incident occurred in the front room of their shared home.
Kalber added that Atieno harassed the singer even after the relationship ended, breaching court orders by sending her repeated emails over a three-year period and even demanding £25,000.
The couple first met in 2006 and began dating in 2011. Buchanan, a founding member of the Sugababes alongside Mutya Buena and Siobhán Donaghy, rose to fame in the early 2000s with a string of chart-topping hits including Push The Button and Round Round.
The girl group disbanded in 2011 but later reunited.