Daniel Bannister, a 51-year-old convicted killer, has been transferred from prison to a psychiatric hospital. This decision follows his repeated stalking of singer Cheryl Tweedy and comes just before his scheduled release this year.
The £300,000 annual cost of psychiatric care
The decision by health service bosses and the Ministry of Justice to move Bannister represents a significant shift in taxpayer expenditure. As reported by The Sun, while a standard prison placement costs approximately £60,000 per year, the move to a psychiatric facility is expected to reach up to £300,000 annually. This transition reclassifies Bannister from a prisoner to a patient, granting him 24-hour access to specialized care from nurses and psychologists.
This high-cost medical detention is intended to provide a level of supervision that standard incarceration or halfway house residency failed to maintain.. By moving him into the care of the NHS, authorities are prioriitizing clinical management over traditional punitive custody as his June release date approaches.
Cheryl Tweedy's security battle following the death of Liam Payne
The transfer comes after a campaign of harassment that left singer Cheryl Tweedy feeling "terrified" and "on edge." The stalking behavior intensified following the October 2024 death of her former partner, Liam Payne, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.. According to the report, Bannister breached a restraining order by appearing at Tweedy's rural home four times, including a specific incident on June 19 where he arrived via taxi and peered over her gate.
The psychological impact on the singer and her nine-year-old son, Bear, has been profound. Tweedy has been forced to hire personal security to manage the anxiety caused by Bannister's defiance of court orders. In a victim impact statement, she noted that the constant threat of his presence makes her feel unsafe every time she opens her gate.
From the 2012 manslaughter to the South London stalking
Bannister’s criminal history is marked by severe violence that predates his recent obsession with Tweedy. In 2012, he was sentenced to two and a half years for the manslaughter of 48-year-old Rajendra Patel at a south London YMCA homeless shelter. This history of lethal violence, combined with his recent failure to adhere to halfway house rules in south London, prompted the Ministry of Justice to issue a recall warrant on January 13.
The court heard that Bannister’s reecent breaches included allegedly keeping alcohol in his south London bail hostel room, a violation of his license conditions. Judge Alan Blake previously criticized Bannister for his defiance of court orders, telling him he needed to "draw a line" under his behavior. This pattern of ignoring legal boundaries is what ultimately necessitated the move to a more controlled medical environment.
Will the NHS hospital prevent another breach of restraining orders?
While the move provides round-the-clock clinical supervision, several critical uncertainties remain regarding the safety of the public and the victim. It is not yet clear how the psychiatric facility will prevent Bannister from attempting to contact Cheryl Tweedy or her son should his obsession persist.. Furthermore, the specific clinical diagnosis that triggered his sectioning under the Mental Health Act has not been publicly disclosed, leaving a gap in the understanding of the actual level of risk he poses to the community.
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