US prosecutors say R Kelly deserves more than 25 years in prison
US prosecutors on Wednesday said the multiplatinum R&B singer R Kelly deserves to spend more than 25 years in prison after being convicted of sex trafficking.
In a filing in Brooklyn federal court, prosecutors said the 55-year-old Kelly exploited his stardom over a quarter century to lure women and underage girls for sex, demonstrating a"callous disregard" for his victims and showing no remorse. "Indeed, the defendant's decades of crime appear to have been fuelled by narcissism and a belief that his musical talent absolved him of any need to conform his conduct - no matter how predatory, harmful, humiliating or abusive to others - to the strictures of the law," prosecutors said.
Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, faces a mandatory minimum 10-year term at his 29 June sentencing. Jennifer Bonjean, a lawyer for Kelly, has said he should spend fewer than 14 years in prison, and will in a filing next Monday explain why his"history and characteristics" justify a shorter sentence than prosecutors want.In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. Journalism strengthens democracy. Invest in the future today.