Sugababes star Keisha Buchanan is making allegations against her ex, Taiwo Atieno.
The 40-year-old “Overload” singer accused the 39-year-old former professional footballer of multiple instances of assault, controlling behavior and harassment after their split, as well as allegedly breaching a court order banning him from contacting her.
Taiwo was charged with controlling and coercive behavior between December 2015 and May 2018, assault occasioning actual bodily harm between January 2012 and January 2015, harassment between January 2021 and December last year, and an alleged breach of a non-molestation order.
The allegation of breaching the court order involves contact to Keisha and a claim he tried to persuade his own brother and sister-in-law from giving evidence against him in family court proceedings, per the London Evening Standard.
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Keisha has claimed Taiwo controlled her finances and use of the shower while they were living together, allegedly intervened in her eating habits, and only allowed her to go to the gym “at certain times,” per the Willesden Magistrates Court.
He also “did not allow her to watch TV and did not allow her to wear red lipstick,” according to the charges.
The former athlete is accused of grabbing Keisha around the neck, punching her on the arm, and striking her on the back in a series of alleged assaults, per the court.
When blocked from contacting Keisha by a family court order, Taiwo allegedly sent emails to her, and he is also accused of harassment over the course of three years with texts, emails, social media contact, and a request for £25,000.
He appeared on Thursday (May 8) in court, entering not guilty pleas to all four charges against him.
Prosecutor Edward Kalber told the court: “This is a persistent campaign by the defendant against the complainant to harass her, control her, and cause her psychological and physical injury.”
He added that Taiwo is accused of “course of conduct over a ten-year period towards the complaint,” who went to police in December last year.
“The defendant got involved if (she) wore red lipstick”, he said, adding that he allegedly “controlled how she used the shower and gym.”
“The defendant has conducted a campaign of terror and abuse against the complainant for over ten years,” the prosecutor told the court.
Taiwo was a professional footballer who made appearances for Kenya in qualifiers for the World Cup and African Cup of Nations. The forward player also made appearances for Walsall, Tamworth, Luton Town, Stevenage, and Torquay United before retiring in 2013.
The two were reportedly once engaged and planning to wed.
His lawyer, Eli Belegu, told the court they first met in 2006, began dating in 2011, and he also worked as her business manager.
He denies controlling behavior, including over her finances, denies the allegations of violence, and contests that he breached a court order.
Deputy District Judge Clare Boichot sent the case to be dealt with at Harrow Crown Court, with a preliminary hearing set for June 5. She remanded him back into custody until the next court hearing, per the report.
The Sugababes recently made a return in 2025.