Women accusing R Kelly of sexual abuse were motivated by money to lie and were little more than star-struck fans, a lawyer for the R&B star argued during the closing argument of his trial in New York.
Warning: This article contains references to alleged sexual assault and abuse.
In his closing argument to the federal court, Kelly’s lawyer, Deveraux Cannick, portrayed the singer’s accusers as former fans and jilted lovers, hoping to cash in on his fame with book contracts and media appearances – such as in the 2019 documentary Surviving R Kelly.
“They’re monetizing. They know what the game is. They’re surviving off of R Kelly,” Mr Cannick said, invoking the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr as he implored jurors to summon “the courage” to acquit the singer.
“I told you about Dr King and the people of courage for a reason,” Mr Cannick said.
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“Getting a conviction of R Kelly is a big deal, but a bigger deal is fairness.”
The singer, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, vehemently denies the charges, which include one count of racketeering and eight counts of illegally transporting people across state lines for prostitution.
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Mr Cannick claimed Kelly treated his accusers “like gold”, taking them on shopping sprees that cost more than cars.
He dismissed Jerhonda Pace, the first accuser to testify against Kelly, as a “groupie, stalker extraordinaire,” and said Kelly’s use of non-disclosure agreements was common in the entertainment industry.
Mr Cannick urged jurors to use their common sense, adding: “Somebody’s life is at stake here.”
The defence only called a handful of witnesses across two days, while the prosecution called more than 45 in the previous six weeks of the trial.
The 54-year-old singer refused to testify in his own defence, as is his right, as it would have exposed him to cross-examination by lawyers.
Mr Cannick spoke after assistant US attorney Elizabeth Geddes finished her closing argument, which lasted about six hours, spread over two days.
Ms Geddes reviewed the testimony of dozens of accusers, former employers and others who spoke out against the singer.
Prosecutors depicted the singer, known for the 1996 Grammy-winning hit I Believe I Can Fly, as a violent predator who used his fame and charisma to deploy people who worked for him to lure women and underage girls.
Ms Geddes said that Kelly had hid his crimes in “plain sight” by wielding his “money and public persona”.
Following closing arguments, jury deliberations may begin on Friday, after US District Judge Ann Donnelly instructs jurors on the law.
Kelly faces separate criminal charges in federal court in Chicago, and state charges in Illinois and Minnesota.
ITV News broadcaster Rageh Omaar has said he was “determined to finish presenting the programme” after returning home following hospital treatment.
Viewers expressed concern about the 56-year-old presenter after he appeared to fall “unwell” live on air during News At Ten on Friday night.
In a statement shared by ITV News, Omaar said: “I would like to thank everyone for their kindness and good wishes, especially all the medical staff, all my wonderful colleagues at ITV News, and our viewers who expressed concern.
“At the time, I was determined to finish presenting the programme. I am grateful for all the support I’ve been given.”
An ITV News spokesperson said he was recovering at home with his family following medical treatment at a hospital.
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A well-known Iraqi social media influencer has reportedly been shot dead in her car by a gunman on a motorbike.
Om Fahad, whose real name is Ghufran Sawadi, was killed outside her home in Baghdad’s Zayouna district on Friday, according to the AFP news agency, citing security officials.
It appears the unidentified attacker pretended to be delivering food to the victim, one security source said.
Om Fahad, who has nearly half a million TikTok followers, became famous for posting light-hearted videos where she dances to Iraqi music.
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Six days ago, she shared footage of herself driving in a car and also posing in front of a mirror. They have each been watched hundreds of thousands of times.
The influencer was sentenced to six months in prison in February last year for sharing videos that a court ruled contained “indecent speech that undermines modesty and public morality”.
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A campaign was launched in 2023 by the Iraqi government to clamp down on social media content which broke the country’s “morals and traditions”.
The interior ministry set up a committee to look for “offensive” clips on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, with several influencers being arrested.
“This type of content is no less dangerous than organised crime,” the ministry declared in a promotional video which asked the public to help by reporting such content.
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“It is one of the causes of the destruction of the Iraqi family and society.”
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In 2018, gunmen in Baghdad shot dead Tara Fares, who was a model and influencer.
After years of war and sectarian conflict following the 2003 US invasion that overthrew dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq has returned to some semblance of normality despite sporadic violence, political instability and corruption.
But civil liberties, particularly among women and sexual minorities, are still constrained in a conservative and male-dominated society.
R Kelly’s challenge against a 20-year sentence for child sex convictions has been quashed by an appeals court.
The singer was correctly sentenced to 20 years in prison, a Chicago court ruled on Friday.
He was convicted in 2022 on three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors for sex.
In his appeal, Kelly, 57, argued Illinois’ old statute of limitations – which required prosecution of child sex crime charges within 10 years – should have applied, rather than the current law permitting charges while an accuser is still alive.
The appeals court rejected this, labelling it an attempt by Kelly to elude the charges entirely after “employing a complex scheme to keep victims quiet”.
He also argued that charges involving one accuser should have been tried separately from the charges tied to three other accusers due to video evidence that became a focal point of the Chicago trial.
Prosecutors have said the video showed Kelly abusing a girl. The accuser, only identified as Jane, testified for the first time that she was 14 when the video was taken.
The three-judge panel from the appeals court noted jurors acquitted Kelly on seven of the 13 counts against him “even after viewing those abhorrent tapes”.
In a written statement, Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean said they plan to seek a US Supreme Court review of the decision and “pursue all of his appellate remedies until we free R Kelly”.
“We are disappointed in the ruling, but our fight is far from over,” she said.