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Artist News Legal
Jury hears from a second accuser at R Kelly trial
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 24 August 2021
The R Kelly trial continued in New York yesterday, with jurors hearing from another of the musician’s accusers, who described how she was controlled and abused while living at the star’s home.
The witness, referred to as Jane Doe #5, told the court that she was involved with Kelly for five years, having originally met him in 2015, aged seventeen, at a concert in Orlando. She was excited to meet the star, she said, not because of any romantic interest in him, but because she was pursuing a singing career and “genuinely wanted his input”.
She was soon invited to attend an audition as a potential singer for the musician, which is when Kelly first made sexual advances, ultimately persuading her to receive oral sex.
She was then invited to meet Kelly again on a number of occasions. As their relationship developed, she had sex with Kelly almost every day that summer, she revealed, with the musician making recordings of their sexual encounters almost immediately. He also gave the witness a sexually transmitted infection during that time, most likely knowingly.
The witness subsequently moved into Kelly’s home, initially in Atlanta and later Chicago. Over time, she said, Kelly became ever more controlling. Echoing the earlier testimony of another of Kelly’s accusers, Jane Doe #5 told the jury about the strict rules she was obliged to follow while living with Kelly, and the punishment and humiliation she would receive when she broke those rules.
Punishments including spankings, beatings and confinement. On one occasion – after buying an item of clothing that didn’t comply with Kelly’s rules – she was confined to her room for three to four days until she apologised. Although the door to the room wasn’t locked, she said she was afraid to leave without permission having seen Kelly physically assault other women who also lived with the star.
She, and other women, were also forced to write letters and make videos in which they admitted to stealing from Kelly or spoke about being molested by family members – none of which was true. These were kept by Kelly and his attorneys, the witness claimed, presumably to be used as blackmail should any of the musician’s alleged victims threaten to go public about the abuse they had been subjected to.
Kelly, of course, is accused of sexually and physically abusing numerous women and girls, as well as other related crimes. He denies all the allegations against him. The trial continues.
