R Kelly sentencing - live: R&B singer on suicide watch after getting 30 years in prison for sex trafficking
Prosecutors had called 25 years behind bars in order to ‘protect the public’
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R&B Singer R Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison following a conviction in federal court last year on sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
Appearing in court on Wednesday, the disgraced singer remained silent as he heard from some of his accusers who gave victim impact statements recounting their experiences with the singer.
Prosecutors had called for R Kelly to receive more than 25 years behind bars in order to “protect the public” from the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer. He was convicted on nine counts last September, which included one racketeering and eight counts of Mann Act violations.
Gloria Allred, who represented the three women who testified against R Kelly, told reporters that “no one can undo the harm that has been done to these victims,” which his lawyer’s denied.
The acting associate director off Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) who announced Kelly’s sentencing meanwhile called the singer a “prolific serial predator who utilised his wealth and fame to prey on the young and vulnerable by dangling promises of fame, fortune and stardom for his own sexual gratification.”
Opinion: R Kelly’s decades of abuse tell a story that never ends
“Wealth, power, racism and misogyny protected the R & B star, and we are a long way from dismantling the culture that enables predators and abusers”, writes Fiona Sturges in the opinion piece below:
R Kelly’s decades of abuse tell a story that never ends
Wealth, power, racism and misogyny protected the R&B star, says Fiona Sturges, and we are a long way from dismantling the culture that enables predators and abusers
Recap - R Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison on sex trafficking and racketeering conviction
R&B singer R Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison on sex trafficking and racketteering convictions.
He was convicted in 2021.
Graig Graziosi reports:
R Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison on sex trafficking, racketeering conviction
Mr Kelly was convicted on nine charges in 2021
Why did R Kelly get a longer sentence than Ghislaine Maxwell?
Disgraced R&B singer R Kelly was sentenced to thirty years in prison on Wednesday following his conviction for sex trafficking and racketeering.
In response to this news, many compared his sentencing to that of Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who received twenty years in jail for her sex trafficking conviction.
One Twitter user wrote: “Can someone please explain to me how R Kelly received a prison sentence 10 years longer than Ghislaine Maxwell?”
Holly Bancroft investigates:
Why did R Kelly get a longer sentence than Ghislaine Maxwell? A legal expert explains
A US trial heard that Kelly was a ‘prolific serial predator’ who preyed ‘on the young and vulnerable’
Victims have mixed feelings about R Kelly’s sentence
R Kelly’s abuse victims were divided in their opinion of his sentence of 30 years, but said they were “grateful” that the R&B singer was “away and will stay away”.
Speaking outside court following the verdict two women, who remained anonymous while reading their victim impact statements to the court, said they were “proud” of one another.
Kelly was handed the sentence after being convicted on charges of racketeering and sex-trafficking in September last year.
Victims have mixed feelings about 30-year sentence for R Kelly
Kelly was handed the sentence after being convicted on charges of racketeering and sex-trafficking in September last year.
Opinion: R Kelly’s decades of abuse tell a story that never ends
“Wealth, power, racism and misogyny protected the R & B star, and we are a long way from dismantling the culture that enables predators and abusers”, writes Fiona Sturges in the opinion piece below:
R Kelly’s decades of abuse tell a story that never ends
Wealth, power, racism and misogyny protected the R&B star, says Fiona Sturges, and we are a long way from dismantling the culture that enables predators and abusers
Opinion: For Black women like me, there is no justice and no peace
Following the conviction of R Kelly in September, Nylah Burton wrote that the 55-year-old being found guilty was a long wait for Black women like herself.
“The majority of people Kelly abused were Black women and girls, some as young as 12 years old. Because of that they were seen by many as disposable and not worthy of protection.”
“Knowing that it has taken 25 years — nearly my entire life — for Kelly to face any semblance of accountability is so deeply depressing.”
Continue reading here:
R Kelly has been found guilty — but for Black women like me, there is no justice
It’s now 25 years ago that Tiffany Hawkins, a young Black woman from the South Side of Chicago, asked the Illinois State’s Attorney Office to press charges against Kelly for sexually abusing her when she was a minor. The State’s Attorney declined
Lawyer: R Kelly placed on suicide watch after being sentenced for sex trafficking
R Kelly has been placed on suicide watch at the federal detention facility in Brookly where he is being held following his sentencing to 30 years in prison on racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
However, his attorney believes the disgraced R&B singer is not suicidal and was fearful of being put on suicide watch.
Read more:
R Kelly placed on suicide watch after sex traffick sentencing, lawyer says
The disgraced R&B singer’s legal team says he’s not suicidal, but was put on watch for ‘punitive reasons’
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