source | Jimu News
According to CNN
local time on June 29th
American R&B king R. Kelly, who has created the popular song
"I Believe I Can Fly"
and won many awards including Grammy. (R. Kelly)
was sentenced to 30 years in prison for committing extortion and sex crimes html As early as 2002, Kelly was hotly debated because of a sex tape of an underage girl. In 2008, it was revealed that Kelly had taken a series of pornographic photos and videos of underage children. Although ultimately unable to prosecute due to insufficient evidence, Kelly's sex scandals continued.
In 2019, after an American documentary "Escape from R. Kelly" was released, it finally emerged that Kelly had violated many girls in the past 30 years. The short film was viewed over a million times within a short period of time after it was aired, and Kelly's sexual assault also aroused heated discussions in Europe and the United States. In September last year, the judge convicted R. Kelly of all nine charges, including rape, drug abuse, and child imprisonment.
R. Kelly (Source: CNN)
It was previously reported that 55-year-old R. Kelly was asked by prosecutors to be sentenced to more than 25 years in prison, while R. Kelly’s defense lawyer believed that he should only receive 10 years or less. A prison sentence, which the lawyer called prosecutors' request "is tantamount to a life sentence."
Before the sentencing, the court heard statements from seven victims. One of the girls said: "I have known R. Kelly for 23 years. He has hurt many girls 23 years ago. Now it is his turn to lose his freedom. Gloria Allred, the attorney representing the victims, said: "No one can undo the harm caused to these victims, and it is time for R. Kelly to be held accountable."
June 29, local time. R. Kelly attended the hearing, and the victims who had been abused by him held hands and prayed, hoping that R. Kelly would be punished. In the end, the judge sentenced R. Kelly to 30 years in prison.
The judge said to R. Kelly when he read the verdict: "You left others with a broken life."
The judge said that although R. Kelly was repeatedly sexually abused by family members and landlords as a child, this may become his future reason for the crime, but the judge added: "This is absolutely no excuse for R. Kelly's crime."
