R. Kelly’s sisters have defended the disgraced star, insisting he’s never been with underage girls and branding Kelly’s victims ‘bitter’.
Last month, Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being found guilty in his sex trafficking trial. He’s also awaiting trial for child pornography charges in Chicago.
Three of Kelly’s - real name Robert Sylvester Kelly - sisters appeared on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday (27 July) to talk about the charges brought against their brother.
At one point during the siblings’ sit-down interview with host Noel Phillips, Cassandra Kelly said: “African-Americans have always been treated unfairly and so I think that has a lot to do with it as well as other factors.”
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In response, Phillips said: “Can you really sit here and say that your brother has not been with underage girls?”
Another of Kelly’s sisters, Lisa, responded: “I can say he may have been with younger women, but as far as underaged girls, no and I stress girls – underage girls. Who has seen that?”
Asked by Phillips if they were at least willing to acknowledge their brother’s victims, Lisa said: “I’m not going to acknowledge something that I don’t have the proof of. I believe that a lot of the alleged victims are bitter.”
Lisa added: “He is not a monster. He is not a paedophile. The only victim I’ve seen who has been stolen from, lied on is Robert.”
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Noel then asked Lisa: “How can you sit here and say R. Kelly is a victim? A lot of people will be confused.”
She replied: “I just told you. I don’t care about people. I can only go by what I have seen, what I know, what I have experienced.”
Kelly appeared at the US District Court in New York on 29 June when he was handed a three-decade sentence.
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Judge Ann Donnelly said he had used his 'minions' to 'lure young fans into your orbit'.
Seven women gave victim impact statements anonymously, with one telling Kelly: “You are an abuser, you are shameless, you are disgusting."
After decades of rumours and allegations about sexual misconduct with minors, Kelly finally went to trial last year and despite pleading not guilty, on 27 September, 2021, jurors in Brooklyn Federal Court found him guilty of nine sex crimes, including racketeering and sex trafficking.
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Alongside the testimonies, jurors were shown homemade videos of Kelly engaging in sexual acts that prosecutors said were not consensual.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivor’s Trust for free on 08088 010 818, or through their website thesurvivorstrust.org
Aisha Nozari