The singer submitted a 56 page legal document to the Los Angeles Superior Court. In it, she explains that Belafonte was horrifically abusive, both physically and sexually. She points out many instances where he beat her. A lot of these comments shed light on why she had been sporting bruises at her public appearances in the last few years.
She attempted to leave him without success. “Every time I tried, he threatened me with violence and threatened to destroy my life in every possible way,” Mel B said. “He said he would destroy my career and take my kids from me. He threatened to release sexually explicit videotapes, claiming I would never again work in the entertainment industry. I desperately wanted to leave the relationship and tried to do so during our first year of marriage and every year thereafter.”
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The sexually explicit tapes were Belafonte’s doing as well. He evidently forced Mel into having threesomes against her will and secretly filmed them.