Stavolta nel nostro magazine non parliamo di musica, purtroppo. R. Kelly è stato condannato a 30 anni di carcere, dal giudice distrettuale statunitense Ann M. Donnelly, nove mesi dopo che una giuria federale di New York lo ha dichiarato colpevole di nove i capi d’accusa, tra i quali racket e traffico sessuale derivanti da oltre due decenni di abusi contro diverse vittime.
R. Kelly: le parole del procuratore
Su R. Kelly, il procuratore degli Stati Uniti, Breon Peace, ha detto:
«R. Kelly used his fame, fortune and enablers to prey on the young, the vulnerable and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification, while many turned a blind eye. Through his actions, Kelly exhibited a callous disregard for the devastation his crimes had on his victims and has shown no remorse for his conduct.
With today’s sentence, he has finally and appropriately been held accountable for his decades of abuse, exploitation and degradation of teenagers and other vulnerable young people. We hope that today’s sentence brings some measure of comfort and closure to the victims, including those who bravely testified at trial, and serves as long-overdue recognition that their voices deserve to be heard and their lives matter».
Durante il processo, sono stati ascoltati ben oltre 40 testimoni, alcuni dei quali hanno raccontato esperienze traumatiche. Le testimonianze delle vittime sono state avvalorate dai precedenti dipendenti e collaboratori dell’ex cantante.
«Un prolifico predatore seriale»
Steve K. Francis, direttore esecutivo associato ad interim di Homeland Security Investigations, ha detto della sentenza a carico di R. Kelly:
«Robert Kelly is a prolific serial predator who utilized his wealth and fame to prey on the young and vulnerable by dangling promises of fame, fortune and stardom for his own sexual gratification. For nearly 30 years, Kelly and his accomplices silenced his victims through bribery, intimidation, blackmail and physical violence, confident they were immune to justice. Today’s sentence is a victory which belongs to the survivors of Kelly’s abuse. These brave women and men came forward, despite threats to their own personal safety, and were forced to relive the pain of the most traumatic days of their lives to tell the truth and make their voices heard».
Il fatto che l’avvocato di R. Kelly abbia sostenuto i trascorsi del cantante in un contesto familiare nel quale ha subìto abusi sessuali, non ha pesato sulla sentenza finale pronunciata dal giudice.
