Stephen Belafonte asked for immediate protection from the court because, according to him, his ex-wife, Mel B, wants to have him killed or jailed.
Belafonte filed for a temporary restraining order over the weekend against Mel B, asking a judge for protection from what he believed to be imminent threats he'd been hearing from friends ... that Mel was openly telling people she wanted him dead, or behind bars.
Welp, Stephen took those rumors to heart -- 'cause he went running to a judge for help ... but the judge told him he didn't have sufficient evidence to warrant a TRO. He'll have a hearing to discuss the matter in length later this month.
BTW ... Stephen says in court docs, obtained by TMZ, that he's been hospitalized twice for stress, anxiety and high blood pressure ... all because of Mel B. He says the "last 12 months of my life have been a true hell" ... to be continued, we suppose.