Five years on, R. Kelly child porn trial to begin
R. Kelly's ongoing child pornography trial has been scheduled to start in September after a five-year wait, it has been reported.
The R&B superstar will finally face the criminal charges, and is 'looking forward to finally having his day in court' after a judge yesterday brought the five-year-old charges up for a trial date, set for September 17th, at a hearing in Chicago.
A spokesperson for R. Kelly told MTV News the star was relieved to finally have a court date for the trial. "As Robert [Kelly] said many times, he believes in our system of justice. He is looking forward to finally having his day in court. He's confident that when all the facts come out, it will be clear he's not guilty of any crime."
Kelly was charged in 2002 with 21 counts of child pornography after a video was allegedly discovered of Kelly recording himself having sex with a girl under the age of consent, although seven of counts were later dropped. Prosecutors said the girl was 14-years-old at the time of the incident.
THe delay in hearing is not uncommon, with a number of reasons - including the Kelly's defence filing over 30 motions that were required to be heard, and a number of personal incidents, adding to the five year wait.
If convicted of the charges, Kelly could face up to 15 years in jail and a fine of $100,000.
