Aimee Walker
R. Kelly is facing spending the rest of his life behind bars after being found guilty of all of the sex trafficking charges he faced at a trial in New York.
The singer, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, pleaded not guilty to the offences, but a jury of seven men and five women ruled in favour of the accusers after two days of deliberations.
Nine women and two men took to the stand over the six-week trial, with some alleging the incidents occurred when they were underage.
Watch details of the R. Kelly trial in the clip below…
Gloria Allred, a lawyer who represented a number of the victims, told reporters: “I’ve been practising law for 47 years.
“During this time, I’ve pursued many sexual predators who have committed crimes against women and children.
“Of all the predators that I have pursued, Mr Kelly is the worst.”
The 54-year-old was accused of using his fame to sexually abuse women and children over 20 years.
Over the course of the trial, prosecutors detailed how his managers, security guards and other members of his entourage, were complicit in his criminal acts.
One woman testified that Kelly imprisoned, drugged and raped her.
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In a written statement after the verdict, she said she had ‘been hiding’ from Kelly because of threats made to her after she went public with her allegations.
She said: “I’m ready to start living my life free from fear and to start the healing process.”
Several of the accusations were first made public in the Netlfix documentary Surviving R. Kelly.
His victims claimed they were not allowed to eat or use the bathroom without his permission, and said that he controlled what clothes they wore and made them call him ‘daddy’.
The singer will be sentenced on May 4, 2022.
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