R. Kelly Has Been Charged With Ten Counts Of Criminal Sexual Abuse - Pedestrian TV

Content warning: This article discusses allegations of sexual abuse

Singer R. Kelly, who has long faced accusations concerning sex with underage women, has been indicted on ten counts of criminal sexual abuse, involving four alleged victims.

Court officials in Cook County say that nine of the ten counts involve minors between the ages of 13 and 16. The 52-year-old is expected to face court in Chicago on March 8.

Lawyer Michael Avenatti announced last week that his office had obtained footage of the singer having sex with a young girl, and had turned this over to the State’s Attorney.

The lawyer, who represents a number of clients linked to Kelly, later said: “After 25 years of serial sexual abuse and assault of underage girls, the day of reckoning for R. Kelly has arrived.”

The allegations against the singer gained further traction this year after the documentary Surviving R. Kelly, in which a number of former colleagues and associated spoke out.

In an interview for the documentary, a former backing singer claimed that she and a number of others witnessed him having sex with his former protege Aaliyah, then aged 15, on a tour bus.

A former manager also claimed that he helped Kelly obtain a fraudulent marriage license so that he could wed Aaliyah, who feared that she was pregnant at the time.

In 2008, the singer faced trial over 21 counts involving child pornography, but was acquitted. His lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times that he denies any wrongdoing in the current matter.

Source: BBC News
Image: AAP / Ade Johnson

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