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Mel B just got out of horribly abusive ten year marriage. She was with a man who tried to control her, who used common abusive tactics on her like triangulation, coercion, economic abuse, threats to personal safety and blackmail. He took her children out of the country to use as leverage against her. He also beat her several times, according to her request for a restraining order. Plus he owned a gun and threatened to use it on her, with cops finding spent shell casings at his home. Other women, ex girlfriends of that horrible excuse for a partner, Stephen Belafonte, have also come out to say that Stephen was abusive to them too. Plus he has a past domestic abuse conviction. So Mel might want to take a while before getting into another relationship, maybe take some time to herself to make sure she makes better choices next time. Only it sounds like she’s jumped right back into a relationship, this time with a Beverly Hills police officer.

Sources in the know tell us she’s been seeing a guy on the Beverly Hills PD for a few months. She’s moved at lightening speed … splitting with husband Stephen only months before she started dating the officer.

They met through mutual friends. She started dating him immediately and it took only a matter of weeks before he was staying at her home 5 – 6 nights a week. She’s nuts about him.

This is a little eery. Our sources say one of the reasons she like him around so much is that he carries a gun, and she’s scared of estranged hubby Stephen Belafonte.

TMZ broke the story, Mel B has a restraining order against Belafonte, and one of her concerns is that she says he has a gun he’s not allowed to possess because of a prior crime.

They’re keeping the relationship “low key” … both for his sake and hers. We’re told his life is “complicated.” But that hasn’t stopped him, however, for showing up to tapings of “America’s Got Talent” — in plain clothes. He has also accompanied her to a number of social engagements.

Not everyone in Mel B’s life thinks it’s a swell idea she’s dating the guy … partly because of him and party because she just got out of a bad relationship.

[From TMZ]

In a couple of sentences I didn’t include, TMZ references Mel’s ex and the father of her daughter Angel, Eddie Murphy, who of course starred in the hilarious Beverly Hills cop movies. They also make these vague references to the fact that Mel’s friends don’t like her new boyfriend and that his life is “complicated.” Does that mean he’s married or something like that? This doesn’t sound good at all.

I understand this somewhat, the guy offers stability and protection and he works a good job which some may consider admirable. However, just throwing this out there – domestic abuse among law enforcement is estimated at 2-4 times higher than in the general population. From what is known, it’s worse than in the NFL. (Although of course we can assume the NFL covers it up. Law enforcement protect their own too, so maybe it cancels out.) Plus, there’s a common pattern to relationships with abusers in that the initial stage usually moves quickly and can feel incredibly romantic and all-consuming. Maybe he’s a good guy and is genuinely falling hard for her too, but if I was her friend I would be telling her to take it slow. She’s only been single a minute and this guy is practically living with her. Go to counseling, Mel!

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