Beyonce was compelled to enlist extra security for her Twickenham concert last weekend after it emerged that the global megastar was under potential threat from her biggest stalker – a man from South London.
Obsessive fan Bassey Essien, a resident of Norwood, was restrained by a High Court anti-harassment order two years ago after it emerged that he had been sending the singer a deluge of threatening letters since 2009, in which he bizarrely accused her of being an imposter who had killed and replaced the ‘real’ Beyonce.
According to the proceedings of the trial, which cost the ‘Crazy in Love’ singer tens of thousands of pounds in legal fees, Essien had not sent the superstar messages but had also a self-penned book of religious scrawlings. He claimed in court to have written it because of a dream he had that she was in danger. His obsession seems to have begun after he met the superstar at a function in 2009.
Essien, who claimed he could hardly defend himself at the trial as he had no legal aid, was also said to have sought to sneak past security guards to reach Beyonce at her concerts and public appearances, leaving the singer too scared to visit the UK.
Evidently her fears still remain. Despite her success in court two years ago, Beyonce still took extra security precautions against Essien at the Chime for Change concert in West London last weekend, where she headlined an all-star line up including Jennifer Lopez, Rita Ora and Timbaland. The concert was organised by the Gucci-founded Chime for Change foundation, who seek to promote women’s education and rights around the world.
