Well, it seems ‘storm is not over’ for an American singer R. Kelly, it has just begun. R. Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexual abuse cases. The singer used his celebrity status to sexually abuse children and women. He was convicted last year after several survivors came forward with sexual abuse cases. The main accusations involved sex trafficking and racketeering.
On Wednesday June 29, the US District Judge Ann Donnelly, imposed the sentence after survivors attested to how the singer sexually abused them, an act which ruined their lives in many aspects. Some of the survivors confronted R. Kelly expressing their experiences and what the abuse caused them.
Sharing one of the survivor’s words;
You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel. Do you remember that?
R. Kelly did not utter a word, but kept his hands folded and eyes downcast throughout in the court.
The singer’s lawyer tried to plead with the court to reduce the years in jail from 30 to 10 claiming R. Kelly had a traumatic childhood, which may have contributed to his behavior. The lawyer argued the singer experienced prolonged childhood sexual abuse, violence, and poverty. The lawyer also argued that R. Kelly’s ‘literacy deficiencies’ made him to be financially abused and defrauded severally by people who should have protected him.
Among the first R. Kelly’s cases to go public was an allegations that he sexually abused young girls in 1990s. In 1997 the singer was sued by another woman who also alleged sexual harassment and sexual battery while she was a minor. Few years later R. Kelly was sued for child pornography charges whereby a victim was a young girl from Chicago. He was later acquitted in 2008 by a jury.
All the above allegations did not stop R. Kelly from singing and selling millions of albums. The singer, who is now 55, has finally been sent to prison for 30 years without bail. He still has more trials ahead scheduled for August 15 in Chicago where he will be facing child pornography and obstruction of justice charges.
