R. Kelly’s child pornography trial will now take place in September 2021, after the Covid-19 pandemic led to a further delay.
The disgraced musician faces charges of creating and possessing child pornography and sexual exploitation of a minor. While he was initially due to appear in federal court in Chicago in April, the first wave of the pandemic resulted in the trial being delayed until October.
And in a hearing which took place on the phone on Tuesday, Judge Harry Leinenweber set the new trial date for 13 September, although he stressed that it was still subject to change.
Kelly, who was arrested in July 2019, is also awaiting trial on racketeering, sex-trafficking and bribery charges in New York – with that trial date set for 7 April.
In October, Judge Leinenweber denied Kelly’s request for a hearing after the singer was allegedly beaten in Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center over the summer.
Kelly’s lawyers had pushed for early release and an “evidentiary hearing” following the beating, which apparently left the singer with “significant physical and psychological injuries”. However, the judge ruled that the “concerning” incident “does not warrant immediate release”.
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