R. Kelly denied bail as second trial date is set
R. Kelly will face a second trial on sex abuse charges in New York in May 2020.
The singer, 52, faces charges that he recruited underage girls and women to have sex with him, isolating them, controlling what they ate and when they went to the bathroom, a US judge ruled.
This is the second trial he will face, after a Chicago date was set for April 2020.
He is facing several state and federal charges of sexual abuse in the US.
R Kelly has consistently denied the claims.
This is the second time he has been denied bail in the New York case.
He was arrested in Chicago in July on two sets of charges including sex trafficking, child abuse images and obstruction of justice.
He pleaded not guilty to those charges.
In another case in Minnesota, he is facing prostitution charges after allegedly inviting a 17-year-old to his hotel room and offered her $200 (£162) to undress and dance with him. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges too.
For two decades R. Kelly, real name Robert Kelly, has been accused of different sexual abuse allegations.
He’s already pleaded not guilty to more than 20 sexual offences.
The allegations have been brought back into the spotlight following the documentary series, Surviving R. Kelly, which aired in the US at the start of 2019.
It detailed stories about him pursuing teenage girls going right back to the start of his career.
R. Kelly has stood trial on sexual offences once, being acquitted of child pornography charges by a jury in 2008.
In September, R. Kelly’s daughter Buku Abi said everyone at school knowing who her dad is made her feel suicidal.
She said being the singer’s daughter is like “a double-edged sword”.
“At home it’s normal, you’re living a life with your parents – your dad and mum aren’t going to go into all the bad things that might be going on outside of home,” she said.
“But kids in school don’t necessarily care. Fifth and sixth grade is when I started learning the sore part of it, the not so good part.”
The #MeToo movement and Surviving R. Kelly documentary both contributed to new allegations being made against the singer. BBC News
