R Kelly’s trial delayed again due to coronavirus pandemic

Singer faces charges in three states

R Kelly appears at a hearing on 26 June 2019 in Chicago, Illinois (E Jason Wambsgans-Pool/Getty Images)

R Kelly's New York trial has been delayed again due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Chicago Tribune, US District Judge Ann Donnelly said during a status hearing on Tuesday that the planned April 2021 date was "not realistic at all".

A new potential trial date has been set for August 2021, although it may also be revised depending on the status of the pandemic at that time.

This is the latest in a series of delays that have affected his cases in the states of New York and Illinois.

The singer, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, faces a mix of federal and state charges. Charges against him have been filed in New York, Illinois, and Minnesota.

The charges range from sexual abuse to racketeering.

He has pleased not guilty to the charges against him. He has denied all allegations of abuse.

The singer is currently being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. He has remained in custody since his arrest in July 2019.

Allegations against him received renewed attention after the airing of the documentary Surviving R Kelly in January 2019.

A second instalment, Surviving R Kelly Part II: The Reckoning, aired in January 2020.