R. Kelly in court to face pornography charges

R. Kelly in court to face pornography charges R&B singer R. Kelly arrived at a Cook County courthouse today to face pornography charges stemming from a videotape allegedly showed him having sex with a girl as young as 13. According to prosecutors, the videotape, which allegedly shows R. Kelly having sex with an underage girl, was made somewhere in the period between 1998 and 2000 and that the girl in question was born in 1984, which would make her a minor at the time the tape was filmed. After the tape surfaced, R. Kelly was indicted on pornography charges on June 5th 2002, but the trial has been postponed for almost 6 years. The entertainer was charged with 21 counts relating to child pornography and released on $750,000 bail. Seven of the charges have since been dropped. And yet another delay is possible, after defense attorneys filed a motion Wednesday seeking to postpone the trial again, although the reason is being kept secret; the judge will rule on the motion today, as well.

According to experts, although R. Kelly, who has pleaded not guilty, could faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, it would be very hard for the prosecutors to convince the jury that the singer is guilty. R. Kelly haven't admitted it's him in the video and the alleged victim also says it wasn't her. Once the trial gets in motion, it's expected to last at least a few months. Also, when the trial starts, big online bookmakers, such as BodogSports, will definitely post odds on the R. Kelly's verdict.

Published on 05/09/2008