R. Kelly goes on Trial for alleged Sex Abuse

The R&B singer R. Kelly’s trial begins today Wednesday, 18th August in Brooklyn on charges he was the ringleader of a two-decade scheme where he recruited women and underage girls for sex, including demanding they demonstrate “absolute commitment” and call him “Daddy”.

The three-time Grammy winner has pleaded not guilty and strongly denied wrongdoing.

The trial, delayed several times by the pandemic and expected to last about one month, is expected to include lurid details about Kelly’s alleged abuses, including testimony from some female accusers and at least one male accuser.

With a jury of seven men and five women who will decide the 54-year-old Kelly’s fate, Kelly could face decades in prison if convicted. In a case, he is acquitted, he still faces sex-related charges in Illinois and Minnesota, where he also pleaded not guilty.

The musician is under charges for using an entourage of managers, bodyguards and others to recruit women and girls, sometimes at concerts, for him to have sex with and abuse, and record some of their activities.

Kelly was also accused of requiring victims to obey strict rules, including that they eat or go to the bathroom only with his permission, wear baggy clothing outside his presence, and not look at other men.

The trial is the culmination of years of suspicions and accusations against Kelly, many discussed in the 2019 Lifetime documentary “Surviving R. Kelly.”

The defendant, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, has been jailed for more than two years. He was moved in June to Brooklyn from Chicago for the trial.

The nine-count indictment describes Kelly’s alleged mistreatment of five Jane Doe victims, three of whom were underage at the time.

The indictment includes accusations of racketeering – more common in organized crime cases – as well as bribery and extortion.

Kelly’s legal team has in court papers characterized their client’s accusers as “disgruntled groupies” who had pined to be with him, only to change their stories later.

The trial also comes nearly four years after the start of the #MeToo era, when more women began speaking out about abuse from famous and powerful men.

Kelly last released a studio album in 2016. His career stalled following the Lifetime documentary and the latest charges.

S.S/Reuters