R Kelly sentenced to 30 years on sexual abuse charges

The singer R Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Wednesday for sexually abusing women, girls and boys, more than 20 years after first facing allegations.

Last September, a jury in New York City found Kelly guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering, on all nine counts against him.

Kelly did not address the court.

The singer, whose hits include Ignition and I Believe I Can Fly, was represented by Jennifer Bonjean, a lawyer who represented Cosby.

Though convicted, Kelly denies involvement in sex trafficking. At a press conference following the sentencing, Bonjean announced they would appeal the decision.

He was charged with 21 counts of making child sexual abuse videos involving various sexual acts in June 2002, but was acquitted on all counts following trial in 2008.

Then, in January 2019, a six-part documentary titled Surviving R Kelly, detailing the allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct against the singer, aired on the US TV network Lifetime. In the film, accusers wondered if their stories were previously ignored because they were Black women.

Asked about some allegations during a CBS interview in 2019, Kelly shouted at his interviewer, Gayle King, and denied any wrongdoing.

He was later arrested in July 2019 and charged with sex trafficking offences, including child abuse images and obstruction of justice.

The singe has been detained at the Metropolitan detention center in Brooklyn since the verdict last September.

Kelly faces further legal trouble. In federal court in Chicago, he is charged with enticement of a minor, possession of child abuse images and obstruction of justice. That trial is set to be held in August.