‘He put the fear of God in me’: key testimony from the R Kelly trial

The court heard of physical and sexual abuse from a ‘controlling’ singer who witnesses said acted with impunity

In this illustration drawn from a video feed, assistant district attorney Nadia Shihata presents her rebuttal statement to the jury during R. Kelly's sex trafficking trial, Friday, September. 24, 2021 in federal court in New York. R. Kelly is seen in the upper left hand corner inset and is seated lower right. The panel of photos on the left show R Kelly's employees and inner circle. The upper right inset are examples of texts between R Kelly and one if his victims. Picture: AP

The singer R Kelly was convicted of running a criminal enterprise that recruited his accusers for unwanted sex and mental torment.

Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, was arrested in July 2019 on federal charges of racketeering and violating the Mann Act, which prohibits the transportation of women or girls for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery. Kelly pleaded not guilty to all charges.