R KELLY FOUND GUILTY

R&B singer R Kelly has been found guilty of eight charges of sex trafficking and one charge of racketeering. During the six-week trial, a court in New York heard that the abuse and trafficking of young girls and women started back in 1990.

Back in 1994 the then 27-year-old married fellow singer Aaliyah illegally when she was only 15. During the trial, a former tour manager testified that he bribed a government official to get a fake ID for Aaliyah so that the two can get married. Aaliyah has since died in a plane crash and information about their wedding is not included in Kelly’s autobiography.

Over the decades more and more young girls and women came forward to share their stories, but Kelly kept on releasing great music and even won awards, so nothing came of the victims’ stories.

Then in 2019 a documentary was made titled Surviving R Kelly which showcased the long list of girls who came forward about the abuse.

The Guardian reports that Gloria Allred, a lawyer for some of Kelly’s victims, said that of all the predators she had gone after, including Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein, “Mr Kelly is the worst”.

Sentencing will take place on 4 May 2021.

Image credit: PM News Nigeria