CHICAGO — The teenage girl whose alleged sexual relationship with the singer R. Kelly led to child pornography charges against the singer in 2008 testified Thursday that the singer began having sex with her when she was 15 and he was in his 30s and continued to do so “hundreds” of times before she turned 18.
The girl, who is now 37 and being identified by the pseudonym Jane in court, is the prosecution’s star witness in Kelly’s federal trial on child pornography and obstruction of justice charges.
Kelly, whose legal name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is being tried alongside his former business manager, Derrel McDavid, and associate, Milton “June” Brown. They are both accused of conspiring with Kelly to intimidate and bribe witnesses and cover up evidence in his 2008 criminal trial in Cook County, which involved a video recording of him allegedly sexually abusing a minor.
On Thursday, Jane testified that she was the person who appeared in that video with Kelly. She did not testify in the 2008 trial, and, at the time, her parents repeatedly denied she was the girl in the recording. Kelly was acquitted. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Jane testified Thursday that she had sex with the disgraced singer “hundreds” of times from age 15 to 18. Under questioning from prosecutors, she said she did so because she was intimidated by him and considered him an “authoritative figure.”
Jane also testified that she first met Kelly when she was 12 or 13 years old at a church gospel concert.
“He was a superstar,” she said. “I was excited to meet him. I knew who he was as an artist and I aspire to be in the music industry.”
The second time she met him, Jane testified, was through an introduction from a relative after an event where Jane’s music group had performed. The relative was in a romantic relationship with Kelly at the time, Jane said.
“After my show, he was telling me how great of a job I did and he gave me pointers to handle the stage,” Jane testified. “It was great to hear from such a successful person that I was gifted.”
Soon after, Jane said, she started seeing him more at his home studio with her relative, who told her she should ask him to be her godfather if she wanted her music career to advance.
The relative, Jane testified, told her that she “should sit on his lap, rub his head and ask him if he will play that role for me and my life.”
Jane, who was 14 at the time, said the relationship turned sexual within weeks of that day, beginning with…
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