R Kelly is a ‘predator’ whose fame brought ‘access to girls, boys and young women’, court told
R Kelly is a “predator” whose fame brought him “access to girls, boys and young women”, a court has been told on the opening day of his trial over sexual abuse.
The trial, which is set to last for about a month, is expected to include testimony from some female accusers and at least one male accuser, with some allegations going back 20 years.
Kelly, a three-time Grammy winner whose hits include I Believe I Can Fly, Bump ‘N’ Grind and Ignition, has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering, sexual abuse and bribery, and strongly denied any wrongdoing. His defence lawyers have told jurors they will have to sift through “a mess of lies” and that any “relationships” were “consenting”.
The singer pictured in a courtroom sketch on the opening day of the trial
But in her opening statement, Assistant US Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez told the jury in New York that the R&B singer used his fame to entice his alleged victims and that he “dominated and controlled them physically, sexually and psychologically”.
The 54-year-old would often record sex acts with minors and controlled a racketeering enterprise of managers, bodyguards and other people who were eager to “fulfill each and everyone one of the defendant’s wishes and demands”, she said, adding that “what his success and popularity brought him was access – access to girls, boys and young women”.
“This case is not about a celebrity who likes to party a lot,” Ms Melendez told the court in Brooklyn. “This case is about a predator.”
She described the singer as “a man who used lies, manipulation, threats and physical abuse to dominate his victims and to avoid accountability for years”.
The trial is under way following several delays, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with an anonymous jury of seven men and five women sworn in to hear proceedings.
Following Ms Melendez’s speech, one of Kelly’s lawyers, Nicole Blank Becker, gave her opening statement, saying some of his accusers enjoyed the “notoriety of being able to tell their friends that they were with a superstar” and that there were “gaps” in the case.
Kelly did not “recruit” them, Ms Blank Becker told the court. “They were fans,” she said. “They came to Mr Kelly.”
She urged jurors to scrutinise the testimonies they will hear during the trial. “They knew exactly what they were getting into,” she said, adding that “it was no secret Mr Kelly had multiple girlfriends. He was quite transparent”.
Kelly is one of the world’s biggest recording artists, despite allegations throughout his career. Pic: Frank Micelotta/Invision/AP
The idea of Kelly leading an elaborate criminal enterprise would be a stretch, the lawyer said, before telling the court: “Don’t assume everybody’s telling the truth.”
In previous court papers, Kelly’s legal team has characterised his accusers as “disgruntled groupies” who were “dying to be with him”. They only started accusing him of abuse years later when public sentiment shifted in the #MeToo era, they say.
The singer, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is accused of requiring his alleged victims to demonstrate “absolute commitment” and obey strict rules, including that they eat or go to the bathroom only with his permission, not look at other men, and call him “Daddy”.
Nine charges describe his alleged mistreatment of five female accusers, identified only as “Jane Does” in court, three of whom were said to be underage at the time. One accuser said Kelly failed to tell her that he had herpes when he had unprotected sex with her.
Prosecutors say alleged victims were selected at concerts and other venues and arrangements were made for them to travel to see Kelly in the New York City area and elsewhere, in violation of the Mann Act, the 1910 law that made it illegal to “transport any woman or girl” across state lines “for any immoral purpose”.
R&B singer and actress Aaliyah married R Kelly when she was 15. She died in a plane crash in 2001, just months after this picture was taken. Pic: AP
The singer’s 1994 marriage to Aaliyah is also expected to come up during the trial. Prosecutors are aiming to show he bribed an official to obtain fake identification for the singer, who was 15 at the time – he was 27 – so that they could get married. Kelly believed he had got Aaliyah pregnant, and hoped a marriage would keep her from having to testify against him, prosecutors will argue.
Aaliyah, identified as Jane Doe #1 in the indictment, died in a plane crash in 2001.
Kelly’s trial in New York comes after years of suspicions and accusations against him. In 2008, he went on trial in Illinois facing child pornography charges, but was acquitted.
Many of the allegations were featured in the Lifetime documentary series Surviving R Kelly, which aired early in 2019. The first of the latest charges against him were made shortly afterwards.
Kelly, who last released a studio album in 2016, could face years in prison if he is found guilty. But the New York case is only part of the legal issues the singer is facing, with sex abuse charges brought in Illinois and Minnesota, too – to which he has also pleaded not guilty.
Women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred is in court for the trial. Pic: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
R Kelly’s attorneys Nicole Becker and Thomas Farinella. Pic: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
Women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred was among those seen entering the court before the start of the hearing on Wednesday.
“All I can say is that I’m very confident that the court will afford a fair trial both to Mr Kelly and also to the persons who allege that they are victims,” she told reporters.
Ms Becker and Thomas Farinella, another of Kelly’s lawyers, also spoke outside court.
“We’ve been preparing and ready to go,” said Mr Farinella. “Excited for Mr Kelly to have his day in court.”
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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs guilty of prostitution offences – but cleared of sex trafficking and racketeering
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been found guilty of transportation for prostitution following a landmark trial in New York – but cleared of more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
The 55-year-old hip-hop mogul was accused by prosecutors of abusing and coercing three alleged victims, including his former long-term partner, singer and model Cassie Ventura, and other crimes including kidnapping, arson and blackmail.
Jurors decided not all the allegations were proven – but Combs still faces up to 20 years in prison after being convicted of transporting people across the US, including Cassie and another former girlfriend, Jane*, and paying male escorts to engage in sexual encounters.
However, with the not guilty verdict on three other more serious charges – racketeering conspiracy and two of sex-trafficking – he has avoided a maximum possible sentence of life behind bars.
Combs appeared upbeat in court as the verdict was announced. Pic: Jane Rosenberg/ Reuters
The mixed result from the jury came not long into their third day of deliberations. In the courtroom in Manhattan, New York, there were cheers from Combs’s family, and the rapper himself held his hands up in a prayer motion, looking at the jury, and hugged his defence lawyer Teny Geragos.
His mood seemed very different to just a day earlier – when he learned the jury had reached a verdict on four of the five charges, but were split on the racketeering charge. After deliberating for longer on Wednesday, they came to a unanimous decision.
Combs later seemed to become overwhelmed with relief. Pic: Jane Rosenberg/ Reuters
Judge Arun Subramanian adjourned the court while he considered whether to grant Combs bail before sentencing. The rapper has been in prison since his arrest in September 2024 – but his lawyers argue his acquittal on the most serious counts has changed the legal landscape enough that he should now be released.
As the verdict sunk in, Combs appeared overwhelmed, kneeling at his chair and bowing his head in prayer once again.
“I’ll be home soon,” he said as he faced his family members. “I love you, Mum.”
Casandra ‘Cassie’ was heavily pregnant when she gave evidence at the start of the trial. Pic: Jane Rosenberg/ Reuters
Cassie ‘paved the way’
Reacting to the verdict, Cassie’s lawyer Douglas H Wigdor said that although jurors did not find Combs guilty of sex-trafficking Cassie, she had “paved the way” for the other guilty verdicts.
“By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice,” he said.
“We must repeat – with no reservation – that we believe and support our client, who showed exemplary courage throughout this trial.”
Cassie, who testified heavily pregnant just three weeks before giving birth, displayed “unquestionable strength”, he added, and “brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit”.
Videos of “freak off” sex sessions with male escorts were shown to jurors only during the seven-week trial, with the footage kept private from members of the public and media in court.
Pic: Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg
Former employees, along with escorts, hotel staff and police officers were among those to give evidence.
Cassie and Jane, who used a pseudonym, also testified. They told the court they were coerced into drug-fuelled freak offs – which were also referred to as “hotel nights” or “wild king nights” – with male escorts, and abused throughout their relationships.
Combs’s defence team presented a very different picture to show that sexual acts, including freak offs, were consensual.
They conceded the music star could be violent, had a bad temper, and used drugs. He also had multiple relationships at the same time. But crucially, they said, while he was “not proud” of some of his behaviour, none of it made him guilty of the charges against him.
After hearing evidence of flights and travel for escorts and Cassie and Jane, paid for by Combs, as well as hotel bookings across the US and the Caribbean, jurors found him guilty of the transportation to engage in prostitution charges. However, they did not find that the allegations against the rapper amounted to sex-trafficking or racketeering.
The Cassie hotel tape
Combs, known variously as Puff Daddy, P Diddy, and Diddy over the years, was once one of the most influential figures in hip-hop – famous as a producer, founder of Bad Boy Records and manager of the late Notorious BIG in the 1990s, as well as a rapper in his own right.
As an artist, he won three Grammys during his career, and had hits including I’ll Be Missing You, Come With Me, and Bad Boy For Life.
In September 2023, he received the “global icon” award from MTV and was given the key to New York City at a ceremony in Times Square, just a few miles away from the streets in Harlem where he spent his first years.
Allegations first came to prominence in November 2023, when Cassie filed a bombshell lawsuit accusing him of coercing her into unwanted sex sessions, as well as blackmail and several incidences of violence.
The suit was settled in 24 hours – for $20m, it emerged during the trial – but months later CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her to the floor in 2016.
He apologised after the video aired, saying: “I was disgusted when I did it.”
Footage from the hotel incident was shown during the trial.
Following the verdict, the rapper now awaits sentencing. He also still faces several civil lawsuits, most of which were filed in the wake of his arrest in September 2024.
Punk rap duo Bob Vylan will no longer headline the Radar Festival in Manchester days after leading chants of “death to the IDF” at Glastonbury.
The performance on the West Holts Stage on Saturday was livestreamed on the BBC – leading the corporation to apologise as it described the chants referencing the Israeli military as “antisemitic” and “unacceptable”.
Avon and Somerset Police announced on Monday that it had opened a criminal investigation after reviewing footage of performances at Glastonbury by Bob Vylan and Irish hip hop trio Kneecap.
The force said the case has been recorded as a “public order incident” and said the investigation will be “evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes”.
In a post on Instagram on Wednesday, the Radar Festival, which takes place at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, wrote: “Bob Vylan will not be appearing at Radar Festival this weekend.”
The festival has not explained why the duo will no longer appear on Saturday night – with its line-up now reading “headliner TBC”.
In response, the group shared the festival’s statement on their Instagram story, adding the caption: “Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting. Manchester we will be back.”
It comes after the band were barred from the US, where they were due to tour in autumn with performances in Chicago, Brooklyn and Philadelphia.
US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau said the duo’s visas were revoked for their “hateful tirade at Glastonbury”.
The band have also been pulled from an upcoming performance at a German music venue.
Bob Vylan with their MOBO award in London in November 2022. Pic: Reuters
In a statement on Tuesday, the duo said they were being “targeted for speaking up” after police opened their investigation.
They wrote: “We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people.
“We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. A machine whose own soldiers were told to use “unnecessary lethal force” against innocent civilians waiting for aid.
“A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza.”
The statement added: “We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story.
“We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction.
“The government doesn’t want us to ask why they remain silent in the face of this atrocity? To ask why they aren’t doing more to stop the killing? To feed the starving?
“The more time they talk about Bob Vylan the less time they spend answering for their criminal inaction.
“We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first, we will not be the last, and if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up too.”
Read more:
Chief rabbi condemns BBC over Bob Vylan chants
Bob Vylan have US visas revoked
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During the performance on Saturday, Bobby Vylan, one half of the duo, also led his crowd in chants that included “Free, free Palestine”.
Bob Vylan performed on the West Holts Stage slot directly before Kneecap, whose member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence.
He is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK, at a gig last year.
Kneecap also led the Glastonbury crowd in “Free Palestine” chants.
The BBC has faced strong criticism for continuing to livestream the Bob Vylan performance on iPlayer with on-screen warnings about discriminatory language.
It has since been revealed that BBC director-general Tim Davie was at Glastonbury when the chants were broadcast.
A BBC spokesperson said: “The director-general was informed of the incident after the performance and at that point he was clear it should not feature in any other Glastonbury coverage.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy criticised the BBC over its decision not to pull the Bob Vylan livestream during the chants on Saturday and said there is “a problem of leadership” at the corporation.
The group was formed in Ipswich in 2017, and are known for addressing political issues in their albums, including racism, masculinity and class.
The group are scheduled to perform at the Boardmasters surfing and music festival in Newquay, Cornwall in August.
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