R Kelly's child pornography trial was off to a dramatic start in Chicago yesterday, with the lawyers for the prosecution showing the jury a video which allegedly shows the singer having sex with a girl under the age of consent.
On the opening day of the trial in Chicago, prosecutor Shauna Boliker presented their key piece of evidence, a "vile" video recording allegedly filmed by Kelly between 1998 and 2000 which shows him and a young girl engaging in various sex acts. The girl the prosecution claim is in the video is now 23 and says it was not her in the footage.
Prosecutor Shauna Boliker told the jury in the opening statements they would "see the sex acts he commands her to do".
"Acts you have never seen before, she added. "Vile, disturbing and disgusting sex acts, actions that were choreographed, produced and starred in by Robert Kelly."
However, it was revealed she would not be calling the alleged victim seen in the video onto the stand, and did not explain why.
Representing the R&B star, Defence lawyer Sam Adam Jr said the video was "at best, a copy of a copy of a copy", revealing that neither the FBI or "a single witness" had identified the man in the tape as Mr Kelly.
Mr Kelly was charged in 2002 with 14 counts relating to child pornography, but the trial was repeatedly delayed in subsequent years.
