• The trial of American singer R. Kelly, known for his hit "I Believe I Can Fly", began this Wednesday in New York.

  • He has been on trial since Wednesday for extortion, sexual exploitation of a minor, kidnapping, corruption and forced labor, over a period from 1994 to 2018.

  • If convicted of all charges by the jury, R. Kelly, currently in pre-trial detention, faces 10 years in life in prison.

R. Kelly, known the world over for his hit

I Believe I Can Fly

, appeared silent, sometimes with his head bowed, on the first day of his trial in the courtroom of Federal Court in Brooklyn, New York, where he is tried for extortion, sexual exploitation of a minor, kidnapping, corruption and forced labor, over a period from 1994 to 2018.

According to the indictment, R. Kelly, winner of three Grammy Awards in 1998, ran a network that recruited and groomed young girls to have sex with him, locking them in their hotel rooms when he was in. turned, asking them to wear loose clothes when they weren't with him, to “keep their heads down” and to call him “daddy”.

The singer is accused of having abused six women, including minors

The first alleged victim called to testify at the bar by the office of the, identified as Jerhonda, thus claimed that the singer was filming sex when she was only 16 years old, which is below the age consent in the United States.

The 28-year-old explained that R. Kelly had told her he was going to "train her to satisfy him sexually".

"We are talking about a predator"

“We are talking about a predator (…).

A man who, for decades, has used his fame, his popularity and a network of people at his disposal to target, prepare and exploit young girls, boys and women to satisfy his sexual urges ”, launched at the opening of the debates, prosecutor Maria Cruz Melendez in front of the accused, gray suit, purple tie.

She described a system in which R. Kelly would have used "all predatory techniques" to approach minors, but also used his entourage, bodyguards, drivers, lawyers, accountants, to protect himself, with threats in particular .

The singer faces 10 years in prison to life

If found guilty on all charges by the jury, seven men and five women selected last week, R. Kelly, currently in custody, faces 10 years in life in prison.

The singer pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him.

"You will hear the whole story and justice will be done," promised one of his lawyers, Nicole Blanker.

In court, she argued that all sex was "consensual".

"He did not recruit anyone ... They were fans, who came to him," said the lawyer.

For more than 25 years, the singer from Chicago, with his voice tinged with gospel influences and hypersexualized lyrics and postures, had known the R & B scene despite a sulphurous reputation, because he surrounded himself with very young girls. and accusations of sexual abuse.

But he had continued to make a career out of amicable settlements.

A 2008 trial for child pornography ended with an acquittal.

Indicted in three states

It wasn't until January 2019, with the release of the documentary series

Surviving R. Kelly

, that the legal stranglehold really tightened.

Now, the singer is indicted in four proceedings in three states (Illinois, New York, Minnesota).

The identity of the victims was not revealed by the New York court but among them is the singer Aaliyah, who died twenty years ago in a plane crash, at the age of 22.

The indictment accuses R. Kelly of bribing an Illinois state official in 1994 to obtain false documents and marry a minor.

An accusation that refers to the marriage, finally canceled, of the singer with the young star of R & B. She was then 15 years old.

According to the prosecution, R. Kelly wanted to marry her to prevent her from testifying against him because he would have made her pregnant.

The prosecutor also referred to the case of Sonia, 22 at the material time, in 2003, a radio intern who hoped to get an interview with the singer after meeting him in Salt Lake City.

According to the prosecution, the young woman had been announced in Chicago, where she had been locked in a room for three days and had been sexually abused by the singer, then threatened so that she would not speak.

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