In yet another MeToo victory, Robert Sylvester Kelly, the singer popularly known as R Kelly, was found guilty of sex trafficking, sexual abuse and rape by a New York court on Monday following a six-week trial, BBC reported.
Kelly will be sentenced on May 4, 2022, and he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
The singer was previously acquitted of child pornography charges 13 years ago, in 2008.
During the trial that began in August, 11 accusers, including nine women and two men, took the stand describing their sexual encounters with Kelly. Many of them were underage at the time.
Legal documents submitted in court revealed that his victims were subject to mental torture by Kelly as well. They said they had to take permission from him before eating or using the bathroom and he even controlled what clothes they could wear and forced them to call him “Daddy.”
Gloria Allred, a lawyer who represented several of the victims, told the media that Kelly is the worst predator she has encountered in her profession. “I’ve been practising law for 47 years. During this time, I’ve pursued many sexual predators who have committed crimes against women and children. Of all the predators that I have pursued, Mr Kelly is the worst.”
Some of the victims have also accused Kelly of transmitting herpes by hiding the fact that he had the sexually transmitted disease, despite legally being obligated to reveal this to sexual partners.
The jury comprising seven men and five women took nine hours over two days to convict the award-winning singer on eight counts of sex trafficking as well as racketeering – a charge normally used against organised crime associations. The jury found that Kelly was the ringleader of a violent and coercive scheme that lured women and children for him to sexually abuse.
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The prosecutors had detailed how Kelly’s managers, guards, and other entourage members worked to assist him in his alleged crimes. The victims were sometimes selected from his concert audiences or they were aspiring and struggling musicians lured with offers of music collaborations.
Prosecutor Jacquelyn Kasulis, speaking at a press conference outside the court on Monday, said the jury had sent a message to other powerful men like Kelly. “No matter how long it takes, the long arm of the law will catch up with you,” added Kasulis.