R Kelly ‘does cruel things to children’, victim says after sentencing
R&B singer R Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted in federal court last year on sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
Appearing in court on Wednesday, the disgraced singer remained silent as he heard from some of his accusers, who gave victim impact statements recounting their experiences with the singer.
Prosecutors called for R. Kelly to get more than 25 years behind bars to “protect the public” from the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer. He was convicted of nine counts last September, which included one count of racketeering and eight counts of Mann Act violations.
Gloria Allred, who represented the three women who testified against R. Kelly, told reporters that “no one can undo the harm done to these victims,” which his attorney denied.
The acting associate director of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), who announced Kelly’s sentence, meanwhile called the singer “a prolific serial predator who used his wealth and fame to prey on the young and vulnerable, promising fame, fortune and glory for his own your sex life. satisfaction.”
Key points
Show latest update 1656676800
Kelly will be tried in Chicago
The disgraced singer will once again face a trial that could extend his time in a Chicago prison, where he was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008 by a jury.
Kelly will again face charges of child pornography, luring children into sexual acts and attempting to influence the outcome of his previous case when his trial begins on August 15.
Illinois City is his hometown.
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 1:00 p.m
1656673200
Opinion: There is no justice and no peace for black women like me
Following R. Kelly’s conviction in September, Nyla Burton wrote that the 55-year-old’s guilty plea was a long wait for black women like her.
“The majority of the people Kelly abused were black women and girls, some as young as 12 years old. Because of this, they were perceived by many as disposable and undeserving of protection.
“Knowing that it took 25 years — almost my entire life — for Kelly to face any semblance of accountability is so deeply depressing.”
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 12:00 p.m
1656669600
What are R Kelly’s lawyers saying?
R Kelly did not testify at his trial in September, but lawyers representing the disgraced R&B singer described his accusers as “girlfriends” and “groupies” who went along with his sexual acts.
Those claims were dismissed by the court, which found the disgraced music artist guilty of multiple charges. Another team of lawyers representing Kelly recently argued that he should receive no more than 10 years in prison. Instead, he was sentenced to 30 years on Wednesday.
His lawyers blamed the 55-year-old’s behavior more than two decades ago, when his crimes were allegedly committed for a traumatic childhood “including severe, prolonged childhood sexual abuse, poverty and violence”.
Additional information from the Associated Press
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 11:00 am
1656664200
ICYMI: What was R Kelly convicted of?
The disgraced R&B singer faced a series of charges before pleading guilty in September to racketeering and sexual exploitation of a child and sex trafficking – among other charges.
Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, sat motionless as he was sentenced on those charges last year. He remained silent again during Wednesday’s sentencing.
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 9:30 am
1656657000
Opinion: R Kelly’s decades of abuse tell a story that never ends
“Wealth, power, racism and misogyny protected the R&B star, and we’re a long way from eradicating the culture that enables predators and abusers,” Fiona Sturgis wrote in the opinion piece below:
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 7:30 am
1656649800
Judge says ‘horrors’ were not ‘too high a price’
“The horrors that your victims endured,” U.S. District Judge Anne Donnelly said during Wednesday’s sentencing. “No price was too high for your happiness.”
According to trial testimony, R. Kelly testified that several of his victims were minors during his encounters with the singer, who denies ordering his accusers to sign non-disclosure forms (otherwise known as NDAs).
The “boys and girls” were allegedly threatened and punished if they broke what were called “Rob’s rules”, prosecutors heard during his trial last year.
The R&B singer was also accused of making “disgraceful videos” of his victims.
Additional information from the Associated Press
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 5:30 am
1656646258
Opinion: R. Kelly’s prison sentence is the least that people like him deserve
“There is something very, very rotten about the cult of the male celebrity,” wrote The Independent’s Victoria Richards in the opinion piece below.
“Because it doesn’t end with the abuse. This behavior has a ripple effect that lasts for decades; not just for the victims themselves, but for all those who see what men like this can get away with for so long – and assume they can do the same.
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 4:30 am
1656642658
The verdict is a product of the MeToo movement
The sentencing of R Kelly to 30 years in prison is another triumph for women’s rights activists and a product of the “MeToo” movement.
Allegations of sexual misconduct against R Kelly were not made public until the emergence of the “MeToo” movement on Twitter in 2006, when several women came forward to say they had been harassed by high-profile men.
The allegations against Kelly reached a turning point in 2019 after the release of the documentary Surviving R. Kelly, after which he was charged by state judges with aggravated criminal sexual assault.
Federal prosecutors then charged the R&B singer with sex trafficking and racketeering, and his trial took place last year, where he was found guilty.
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 3:30 am
1656639058
The sentence is justice for black women
R Kelly’s victims believed their stories were initially ignored because they were black women.
Speaking outside the court on Wednesday where he was sentenced, one unnamed survivor said: “There hasn’t been a day in my life, until this moment, when I truly believe that the justice system will go through the black and brown girls.”
Prosecutors heard from women who told the court how the R&B singer forced them into “submission” and other “horrors”.
“I hope this sentence serves as its own testimony that it doesn’t matter how powerful, rich or famous your abuser may be or how small he makes you feel – justice only hears the truth,” US Attorney Breon Peace said, per the Associated Press reported.
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 02:30 am
1656635458
ICYMI: R Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking and racketeering conviction
R&B singer R Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
He was sentenced in 2021.
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 1:30 am
Add Comment