R. Kelly has been denied a jail release on bail after pleading not guilty to a string of sexual assault charges in court on Tuesday.
The embattled R&B star was arrested on two new federal indictments last week, and on Tuesday in Chicago, Illinois, Judge Harry D. Leinenweber agreed with prosecutors when they insisted he is a danger to the community, especially to minor girls, and should not be released from custody.
The prosecution lawyers also made it clear they have no doubt that the person in damning sex videos they’ve obtained is the I Believe I Can Fly singer, and they told the judge even home confinement is a big risk as they believe Kelly can “entice girls to his own doorstep”.
The singer’s lawyer, Steve Greenberg, made it clear his client had surrendered his passport, and was not a flight risk, pointing out that Kelly had not missed a court appearance in his 2008 sexual assault trial, which ended with an acquittal, to the best of his knowledge.
Greenberg also told the court, “There’s no evidence that he’s (Kelly) a risk to minors at all at this point.”
But the judge was resolute, insisting a child porn charge alone comes with a “presumption of detention”, and Kelly was ordered to be held in jail without bond.
Ironically, two of Kelly’s alleged sex slaves, Joycelyn Savage and Azriel Clary, turned up at court to support the singer.
This is the third time this year Kelly has spent time behind bars. He was previously briefly jailed on sexual assault charges and for failing to pay child custody installments.
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