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Mel B Seeks Permanent Sole Custody Of Daughter After Learning Of Husband’s Past Domestic Violence Conviction

By Lawrence Arboleda
Published on: 07:30 PST, Apr 7, 2017

Former Spice Girl Mel B is now seeking permanent sole custody of her daughter with estranged husband Stephen Belafonte a month after she filed for divorce, according to TMZ.

Mel B, whose real name is Melanie Brown, initially sought joint legal and physical custody of her daughter last month, but later changed her mind because of two reasons. First, she learned that Belafonte was convicted for domestic violence involving another mother. Lastly, the domestic violence conviction prohibited him from legally owning a gun — and Mel claims he has possession of one.

Mel claims that Stephen Belafonte repeatedly committed domestic violence against her.

Sources told TMZ that Mel B was able to get a temporary restraining order prohibiting her estranged husband from getting in contact with three of her children. The X-Factor judge is reportedly planning on going to court to make the restraining order permanent.

According to sources, Mel doesn’t want Belafonte to have any contact with two of her children, the first one being 10-year-old Angel, whose father is Eddie Murphy, and 18-year-old Phoenix, her son from another marriage.

Brown agreed to allow Benaforte to have monitored visits with their five-year-old daughter Madison, but not at the present time.

Stephen Belafonte, a film producer, also filed for divorce two weeks after Mel filed a petition in court to end their 10-year marriage. Both cited “irreconcilable differences” in their divorce petitions.

Belafonte is reportedly seeking spousal support, but Mel B asked the judge to reject the request.

The former couple are also contradicting each other over the details of their marriage, as Belafonte claims that March 1, 2017 is the date of their separation, while Mel B cites December 28, 2016. According to TMZ, this could have some bearing on the division of their property.

Melanie Brown also known as Mel B and her husband Stephen Belafonte arrive at AAMI Victoria Derby Day.
[Image by Scott Barbou/Getty Images]

In her declaration for a temporary restraining order against her husband filed in court on April 3, Mel B alleges that Stephen Belafonte tried to control her through physical and emotional abuse, as reported by Billboard. She also claims in the restraining order that she was in a weak emotional state when she secretly married him in Las Vegas back in June 2007. She added that Belafonte continually attacked her self-esteem, especially during the time she was trying to lose weight following her pregnancy. She also said he put her under emotional blackmail by threatening to release their sex tapes, which he recorded in order to destroy her career and have her children taken away from her.

TMZ previously reported that Melanie Brown attempted suicide in December 14, 2014 by swallowing an entire bottle of aspirin. She reportedly decided to call 911, but Belaforte blocked her and threw her on the bed, then told her to “die b*tch!”

Another claim made by Brown in the documents alleges that Stephen impregnated their nanny and tried to convince her to allow the domestic worker and her baby to live with them. Mel responded by firing the domestic worker. She, however, was forced to re-hire her after her husband threatened to leak damaging stories to Child Protective Services and the media.

Brown claims in the document that she tried to leave Stephen Belafonte many times but “he threatened me with violence and threatened to destroy my life in every possible way… destroy my career and take my kids from me.”

In an ambush interview by TMZ, Stephen Belafonte questioned the motives of his wife, saying that someone’s trying to set him up to look like the “bad guy,” and that some people are probably making a lot of money out of the allegations.

Do you think there’s truth to the allegations Melanie B has hurled against her husband Belafonte in her divorce documents? Feel free to share your thoughts below.

[Featured Image by Craig Barritt/Getty Images]

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