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R Kelly’s former goddaughter, referred to only as "Jane," appeared in court this week to testify in the singer’s ongoing federal trial. She claimed that Kelly got physically intimate with her "hundreds of times" before she became an adult, starting when she was just 15 years old.
The now 37-year-old woman shared that she first met Kelly through her aunt during the late 1990s when she was 13 years old and asked him to be her godfather. While the singer immediately agreed to make her his goddaughter, he soon started making inappropriate advances towards her.
The latest revelations left social media users enraged and prompted them to demand immediate sentencing for Kelly. Some also asked the court to refrain from letting the singer enter a trial and requested they keep him in prison "for life":
R Kelly is currently facing trial for child p*rnography and obstruction of justice. He faced a similar trial in 2008 but was acquitted of the charges after the victim refused to testify in court.
Twitter reacts to Jane’s testimony against R Kelly
Despite being considered one of the legends of the R&B industry, R Kelly found himself in the middle of many major controversies after allegations of the singer’s crimes against women and minors came to light.
Although he was initially acquitted of the charges in a 2008 trial, a 2019 documentary titled Surviving R Kelly led to a renewed backlash against the singer. Following the outrage, RCA Records dropped Kelly, and he eventually faced new criminal charges.
The I Believe I Can Fly hitmaker was arrested on federal charges in 2019 after he was accused of abusing fans for over several decades. He was then convicted of violating the Mann Act and racketeering in a Brooklyn court.
During the latest hearing, Kelly’s goddaughter, who was infamously featured in the singer’s alleged inappropriate videos, testified against him. As excerpts of her testimony surfaced online, netizens took to Twitter to condemn the musician and his actions:
The ongoing Chicago trial against R Kelly is expected to continue for a month. While controversial videos involving Jane will be played in court, two other minor victims will also testify in the days to come.
A detailed look into Jane’s allegations against R Kelly
On Thursday, R Kelly’s former goddaughter, who uses the pseudonym “Jane,” testified against the singer in his ongoing trial. She revealed that she first met Kelly at the age of 13 through her aunt, who was his friend.
According to The Chicago Tribune, Jane was reportedly in a music group, and Kelly attended one of their performances before giving her positive feedback:
“It made me feel happy that such a successful person was saying I was gifted, so I was excited.”
Shortly after, Jane’s aunt advised her to request Kelly to be his godfather. She claimed that her aunt told her to "sit on his lap and rub his head" and to ask him to "play that role" in her life. Jane said Kelly "chuckled a bit" and said "yes" to her request.
WGN-TV reported that Jane opened up about Kelly’s improper advances and said he started having inappropriate conversations with her over the phone.
She alleged that the musician started touching her at a recording studio in Chicago when she was 14 and eventually “started penetration” at his North Side Chicago home.
Jane further shared that Kelly first gave her alcohol when she was 14, following which she began drinking heavily:
“It would help me loosen up, kind of take me away from the moment.”
The woman told jurors that she was physically involved with Kelly by the time she was 15 and said she was sure of her age as that was the time she “lost her virginity.” The R&B star was reportedly 30 at the time of the arrangement.
Jane alleged that Kelly would often “tell her what to do” and also claimed that he made her recruit other girls for him. When asked how many physical encounters she had with Kelly while she was a minor, Jane replied:
“Uncountable times... hundreds.”
Prosecutors alleged that Kelly shot an inappropriate video of Jane in a cabin-themed room at his North Side Chicago residence sometime between 1998 and 2000.
Meanwhile, retired Chicago Detective Daniel Everett testified that he recognized the girl in the video as Jane when he received the footage from a former Chicago Sun-Times journalist.
As per The New York Times, R Kelly was also seen handing cash to Jane in one of the alleged videos. When prosecutors asked the latter about the financial exchange, she burst into tears before saying:
“Because if anybody saw the tape or if it was released for some reason, he would say I was a pr*stitute.”
During the latest hearing, prosecutors also alleged that Kelly paid Jane and her parents and threatened them not to testify at the 2008 trial. He also allegedly asked the family to leave Chicago and paid for their travel to Cancun and the Bahamas.
Following their return, Kelly reportedly isolated Jane and moved her from one hotel to another. The woman and her family eventually denied her presence in the video during the 2008 trial, leading to R Kelly’s acquittal.
Kelly is facing a 13-count federal indictment and is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence for his New York conviction.
