The Grammy-winning and multiplatinum-selling hitmaker, R. Kelly who is known for hits such as the 1996 hit “I Believe I Can Fly” and the cult classic “Trapped in the Closet” has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for using his fame to entrap young fans and subject them to systematic sexual abuse – CNN reports.
US District Judge Ann Donnelly sanctioned the sentence after hearing from a number of survivors who recounted how Kelly’s abuse has dramatically affected their lives.
An abused woman told R. Kelly during the trial, “You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel…Do you remember that?”
The widely watched “Surviving R. Kelly” – a docuseries that gave voice to R. Kelly’s accusers was an instrument to bring awareness to Kelly’s sexual misconduct in relation to young women and children.
When the judge handed the sentence, Kelly’s lawyers argued for 10 years or less because he apparently should get a break due to the fact that he “experienced a traumatic childhood involving severe, prolonged childhood sexual abuse, poverty, and violence.”
They further added: “His victimisation continued into adulthood where, because of his literacy deficiencies, the defendant has been repeatedly defrauded and financially abused, often by the people he paid to protect him.”
However, when it came to deciding the sentence, Donnelly revealed that she did consider Kelly’s own traumatic childhood, however, the judge said “It may explain, at least in part, what led to your behavior… It most surely is not an excuse.”
9 news confirms that Kelly has been jailed without bail since 2019 and he’s actually still facing child pornography and obstruction of justice charges in Chicago, where a trial is scheduled to commence on August 15.
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