R&B star R Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in jail for sex trafficking and subjecting young fans to systematic sexual abuse
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, 55, was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking last year at a trial that gave voice to accusers who had once wondered if their stories were being ignored because they were Black women.
He was also ordered to pay a $US100,000 fine.
US District Judge Ann Donnelly imposed the sentence after hearing from several survivors who attested to how Kelly’s exploitation had changed their lives.
R. Kelly’s accusers told the court he had preyed on them and misled his fans as the fallen R&B star listened with downcast eyes.
Lizzette Martinez, author of “Jane Doe #9 how I survived R.Kelly”, arrives to federal court in New York.
“You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel,” one woman told the Grammy-winning, multiplatinum-selling singer.
“Do you remember that?”
Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, did not address the court.
Kelly’s lawyers had argued he should get no more than 10 years in prison because he had a traumatic childhood “involving severe, prolonged childhood sexual abuse, poverty, and violence”.
He was also ordered to pay a $US100,000 fine.
His lawyers painted Kelly as an adult with “literacy deficiencies,” the star was “repeatedly defrauded and financially abused, often by the people he paid to protect him”.
The Brooklyn federal court jury convicted him after hearing that he used his entourage of managers and aides to meet girls and keep them obedient.
Next-gen news streamer TICKER NEWS is about to arrive on Fetch TV, bringing Australian audiences more live news and original programs.
TICKER will be available as a live network as part of the Fetch aggregation platform’s push into Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST).
TICKER CEO Ahron Young says:
“This is an incredible moment for the TICKER team and a great achievement. Since our launch in 2019, we’ve been focused on building a leading FAST news streaming network, and we are tremendously proud to be embraced by the team at FETCH.”
The addition to Fetch comes at an exciting time for the platform, which will soon become the new platform for Telstra TV.
Fetch TV currently has around 670,000 active subscribers, and Telstra TV has 800,000, cementing TICKER”s position as the next-generation news channel for Australians.
Accessible from the TV Guide, TICKER NEWS will be available to Fetch customers on their TV and on the Fetch Mobi App from March 1, 2023.
TICKER NEWS broadcasts globally around the clock, spearheaded by a team of award-winning journalists and international correspondents.
TICKER produces headline news and analysis with newsmakers at the top of each hour, with reports from correspondents Veronica Dudo in New York, Ryan Thompson in Paris and Adam Hancock Singapore.
In time for the launch on FETCH, TICKER NEWS will unveil a series of original programs, including Great Business Leaders and Billionaire Blowups, and a new program hosted by AFL legend Chris Judd.
Through TICKER NEWS Insights, host Mike Loder interviews global entrepreneurs and business leaders – giving them a unique platform to share their story.
TICKER CEO Ahron Young says:
“We are proud to call Australia home. Together with our distribution arrangement with Telstra TV and Flash News, TICKER has cemented its place as a fresh new voice for Australian audiences, who seek more fact-based news and less opinion.”