R. Kelly has handed himself into the police after being charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse.
Pictures of the singer walking into a Chicago police station circulated on Twitter last night, after being posted by Chicago Tribune reporter Megan Crepeau. The singer was accompanied by his lawyer and it’s claimed R. Kelly was handcuffed and escorted in by two policeman as he arrived.
According to Crepeau, who was at the scene, the singer’s lawyer spoke to reporters outside the station and protested Kelly’s innocence, adding: “Mr. Kelly is strong, he’s got a lot of support, and he’s going to be vindicated on all these charges, one by one if it has to be.”
Sky News reports the singer will appear in court on Saturday afternoon local time where he will be given the option of bail.
Yesterday (Feb 22nd) R. Kelly – real name Robert Kelly – was charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. If convicted, the singer could face between 30 and 70 years in prison. A warrant was issued for his arrest yesterday.
— Megan Crepeau (@crepeau) February 23, 2019
The singer, 52, has denied the allegations after he was accused by several women and girls. Claims of sexual abuse have plagued Kelly for decades, but were brought into the light once more recently following the release of docuseries Surviving R Kelly, which featured interviews with Kelly’s alleged victims and recently had it’s debut on TV in the UK.
Greenberg spoke to reporters outside the station, with Kelly’s blue coat stuffed into an evidence bag at his side.
“Mr. Kelly is strong, he’s got a lot of support, and he’s going to be vindicated on all these charges, one by one if it has to be,” he said.
— Megan Crepeau (@crepeau) February 23, 2019
Earlier this week, new claims were made against the star by two woman. Latresa Scaff and Rochelle Washington claim they were 15 and 16 respectively when Kelly plied them with drugs and alcohol and had sex with the older girl while she was intoxicated. The women claim the incident happened after they were picked out of the crowd by security staff at one of Kelly’s Baltimore concerts in “either 1995 or 1996”, the BBC has reported.
Last night, Kelly’s lawyer, Steve Greenberg, vehemently denied all accusations against the singer.
In January, Kelly issued a statement through Greenberg also denying all the allegations. Greenberg said: “The allegations aren’t true because he never knowingly had sex with an underage woman, he never forced anyone to do anything, he never held anyone captive, he never abused anyone.”
NME has contacted Kelly’s lawyer, Steven Greenberg, for comment.
Be the first to comment