R&B singer R. Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison in sex case
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NEW YORK (REUTERS) â R. Kelly was sentenced on Wednesday (June 29) to 30 years in prison, following the multiplatinum R&B singerâs conviction for exploiting his stardom and wealth over decades to lure women and underage girls into his orbit for sex.
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The sentence was imposed nine months after Kelly, 55, was convicted of racketeering and sex crimes, in a trial that amplified accusations that had dogged the singer of the Grammy-winning hit I Believe I Can Fly for two decades.
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USÂ District Judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn federal court said the evidence reflected Kellyâs âindifference to human sufferingâ and âsheer brutalityâ towards his victims.
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âThis case is not about sex. Itâs about violence and cruelty and control,â Donnelly told Kelly. âYou left in your wake a trail of broken lives.â
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Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is among the most prominent people convicted of sexual misbehaviour during the #MeToo movement against such conduct by prominent men.
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He did not speak during Wednesdayâs hearing, but has repeatedly denied sexual abuse accusations.
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After the sentence was read, his lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, told reporters Kelly was âdevastatedâ by the sentence but that he would appeal.
âThirty years in prison is like a life sentence for him,â Bonjean said.
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âDo you remember that?â
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The sentencing came after several accusers, some of whom were tearful, told the judge about how Kelly promised to mentor them and help them attain stardom, only to subject them to degrading sexual treatment and physical harm.
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Many said the abuse led to mental health problems that persist.
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âAs a teenager, I didnât know how to say no to R. Kelly when he asked me to perform oral sex on him,â said a woman identified as Jane Doe No. 2.
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She then paused, looked at Kelly, and asked, âDo you remember that?â Kelly wore a black face mask and beige prison clothing to his sentencing.
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Several accusers testified during the five-and-a-half-week trial about how Kelly would demand that his victims strictly obey his rules.
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These included needing his permission to go to the bathroom, calling him âDaddyâ and writing âapology lettersâ that purported to absolve Kelly of wrongdoing, among others.
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The alleged victims included the singer Aaliyah, who prosecutors said Kelly fraudulently married when she was 15 to conceal earlier abuse. Aaliyah died in 2001.
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âThis is a significant outcome for all victims of R. Kelly and especially for the survivors who so bravely testified about the horrific and sadistic abuse they endured,â Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, told reporters after the hearing.
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No remorse
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He was convicted on nine criminal charges, including one count of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, which bars transporting people across state lines for prostitution.
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Prosecutors had urged a prison sentence of more than 25 years, saying Kelly had demonstrated a âcallous disregardâ for his victims and shown no remorse.
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âI never thought that I would be here to see him be held accountable for the atrocious things that he did to children,â Lizzette Martinez, one of the accusers who spoke in court, told reporters after the hearing.
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Defence lawyers said Kelly deserved no more than 10 years, the mandatory minimum, arguing that his history as an abused child may have led to his adult âhypersexuality,â and that he no longer posed a threat.
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Kelly has been in jail since July 2019.
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He will likely be transported soon to a jail in Chicago, where he faces an August trial in federal court on child pornography and obstruction charges. He also faces various state charges in Illinois and Minnesota.
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Auto, H. (2022b, June 30). R&B singer R. Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison in sex case. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/rb-singer-r-kelly-sentenced-to-30-years-in-prison-in-sex-case