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In this courtroom artist's sketch made from a video surface show of a Brooklyn courtroom, suspect R. Kelly, left, listens during the opening time of his trial, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021 successful New York. The authoritative described enactment maltreatment claims against Kelly, saying the long-anticipated proceedings present underway was "about a predator" who utilized his fame to entice girls, boys and young women earlier dominating and controlling them physically, sexually and psychologically. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams)

NEW YORK – R&B hitmaker R. Kelly’s forced his girlfriends to constitute fake blackmail letters that helium could usage to support himself successful lawsuit helium got charged with sexually abusing them, 1 of his accusers testified connected Wednesday astatine his New York City trial.

The witness, testifying arsenic a “Jane Doe” successful national court successful Brooklyn, work for the assemblage parts of 1 missive successful which she told Kelly that if helium tried to interruption up with her, “I’m going to archer everyone you raped me. … I’m going to accidental you raped maine since I was a minor.”

Her notes to him besides warned that “she would spank herself truly hard” — hard capable to permission bruises — truthful she could impeach him of beating her.

After the defence confronted the witnesser with the letters, she insisted the maltreatment was existent and that the writings were a ploy engineered by Kelly “to support him successful a proceedings similar this from precise superior charges."

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The woman, present 23, had antecedently elaborate however she was groomed and exploited by Kelly starting successful 2015 erstwhile she was a 17-year-old aspiring singer. The defence sought to discredit her with the letters and different grounds it claims showed her parents were down a strategy to instrumentality vantage of Kelly's fame.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Geddes responded by giving a point-by-point rundown of her grounds — including allegations that helium intentionally isolated and demeaned her with perverted “punishments." She past asked the witnesser whether the blasted fell "on your parents oregon the defendant?”

She responded: “The defendant.”

Kelly, 54, has repeatedly denied accusations that helium preyed connected respective alleged victims during a 30-year vocation highlighted by his 1996 mega deed “I Believe I Can Fly.” His lawyers person portrayed his accusers arsenic groupies who are lying astir their relationships with him.

The authorities besides called a erstwhile subordinate of Kelly's entourage to the witnesser basal connected Wednesday who said helium helped enlistee a pastor to execute a concealed matrimony ceremonial for Kelly and vocalist Aaliyah.

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Last week, a erstwhile circuit manager for the R&B fable testified that helium paid a $500 bribe to a authorities idiosyncratic to get Aaliyah a fake recognition utilized to pave the mode for Kelly to wed the vocalist aft helium began a intersexual narration with her and believed she had go pregnant. A matrimony licence that was enactment into grounds falsely listed her property arsenic 18; she was 15. Kelly was 27 astatine the time.

Prosecutors accidental Kelly wanted to usage the marriage, which was aboriginal annulled, to shield himself from transgression charges related to having enactment with a insignificant and to forestall her from testifying against him.

Aaliyah, whose afloat sanction was Aaliyah Dana Haughton, worked with Kelly, who wrote and produced her 1994 debut album, “Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number.” She died successful a level clang successful 2001 astatine property 22.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.