R Kelly gets 30 years for ‘deplorable’ abuse
R&B singer ‘lured young fans’
DISGRACED R&B star R Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison yesterday.
The I Believe I Can Fly singer was convicted last year of federal racketeering and sex trafficking after using his fame to ensnare victims to sexually abuse.
US prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence “the pied piper of R&B”, 55, to more than 25 years behind bars.
His attorneys asked for 10 or fewer, saying the prosecutors’ request was “tantamount to a life sentence.”
A New York court heard impact statements from seven victims of his “deplorable” abuse.
Addressing Kelly, one victim said: “It’s been 23 years since we knew each other, and you’ve victimised a lot of girls since then.
“Now it’s your turn to have your freedom taken from you.”
She described how Kelly would make her perform sex acts on him after playing basketball.
She said: “I felt special because someone who was special to the world was interested in me. ”
Another witness, who testified at trial that she was imprisoned and raped at his home in Illinois in 2003, described how the singer would have people follow her, adding: “I was scared for my life.”
Fellow victim Kitti Jones said: “Many of us have been waiting for this day to come.”
Kelly’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, said the singer – full name Robert Sylvester Kelly – was the son of a single mum and “grew up in a chaotic home” where he was sexually abused.
Judge Ann Donnelly said he had used his “minions” to “lure young fans into your orbit”.
She added: “These crimes were calculated and carefully planned and regularly executed for almost 25 years. You taught them that love is enslavement and violence.”