Nu Michael Jackson's naam gezuiverd is, komt binnenkort waarschijnlijk dan toch de kinderpornozaak tegen R. Kelly voor de rechter.
Zijn verzoek om de zaak van de rol af te halen werd door de rechter niet gehonoreerd:
quote:
A Chicago judge on Friday turned down Kelly's motion to dismiss the case. Lawyers for the embattled R&B star contented that the period in which the alleged crime occurred was "too vague," but Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan ruled that "the evidence is sufficient for Mr. Kelly to prepare a defense."
Kelly, 38, has pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of child pornography stemming from a widely disseminated videotape purportedly showing him have sex with an underage girl. Prosecutors say the tape was made sometime between January 1998 and October 2000.
The Grammy winner was not in court for Friday's decision. Barring a plea deal, the trial is expected to take place early next year.
Kelly's lawyers scored a partial victory in July when Gaughan agreed with the singer's attorneys that the prosecution's initial claim that the 15-minute tape was made sometime in a 51-month-period was unfair to the defense.
Prosecutors responded by narrowing the window to 35 months. "Our burden is to prove the people on the tape are the defendant and the victim and that the victim is under 18," Cook County State's Attorney spokeswoman Marcy Jensen said at the time.
Meanwhile, the defense says that the woman on the tape will not testify in court.
The case against Kelly has dragged on for nearly three years. It had been slated to get started earlier this year, but has been delayed by various motions. The next hearing is set for Dec. 9.
If convicted on the child pornography charges, Kelly could face up to 15 years in state prison, a $100,000 fine and be forced to register as a sex offender.
Last month, Kelly's tumultuous off-stage life suffered another hiccup when his wife obtained a restraining order against him, alleging he slapped her. The couple eventually worked out the problems, however, and the order was dropped.
Despite his personal problems and the severity of the allegations against him, nothing seems to affect Kelly's commercial appeal.
Dat dan weer wel...