R Kelly trial news: Prosecutor calls singer ‘predator’ as defence slams female accusers’ ‘mess of lies’
Both sides set out their opening arguments in the long awaited case against the 54-year-old
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R&B star R Kelly appeared in court on Wednesday as opening statements were made in a case involving decades of alleged sexual abuse carried out by the “I believe I can fly” singer during the height of his fame.
The 54-year-old, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, has strongly denied sexually exploiting and humiliating underage girls and boys, who prosecutors say were recruited by members of his entourage. The singer and his supporters were both accused of involvement in an “enterprise” that allowed the abuse to occur.
Kelly also faces charges of coercion, racketeering and bribery, as well as breaking US federal law by transporting girls for “immoral” acts. The trial, which could takes weeks, comes two years after his arrest by federal investigators in Chicago on other charges, with the Brooklyn trial delayed by Covid.
A jury made up of seven men and five women will ultimately decide his fate, in what his victims say has been a long wait for justice in the #MeToo era. It follows his acquittal of child pornography charges 13 years ago.
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Contrasting opening arguments to make way for testimonies
The openings remarks in the case against R Kelly came more than a decade after he was acquitted in a 2008 child pornography case in Chicago, and two years after the Lifetime documentary "Surviving R. Kelly”, in which his alleged victims aired their stories in public for the first time.
The TV series, which explored how R Kelly’s entourage protected the R&B star and silenced his victims for decades, was followed by many alleged victims coming forward, and the arguments put forward by federal prosecutors on Wednesday.
Women —referred to in court as "Jane Does" — are expected to offer testimony in the coming days and weeks about how Kelly's managers, bodyguards and other employees helped him recruit women and girls — and sometimes boys — for sexual exploitation.
His lawyers denied claims that he was a “predator” who controlled his victims, and that the allegations were a “mess of lies” from people who wanted to be seen with the star, who last released an album in 2016.