thumbnail

The testimony that convicted R. Kelly; Found Guilty On All Charges In Racketeering And Sex Trafficking Case.

 


Over more than five weeks, nearly a dozen victims of R. Kelly took the stand in a New York courtroom to provide harrowing details of the abuse and mistreatment they suffered at the hands of the famous singer.

Many of the 11 women and men, some of whom cannot be publicly identified, describing having sex with R. Kelly when they were underage. They described him as controlling, angry and violent - adding that he required them to call him "daddy".

Other women say they were forced to write letters of blackmail, including false confessions that could later be used against them.

On 27 September Kelly was found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking charges. He will be sentenced on 4 May.

So what have the victims said about the man now facing life behind bars?


'I was running from him and fighting back'


One witness - identified in Kelly's indictment as Jane Doe No 5 - testified that he repeatedly abused her over the course of a five-year relationship, which began when she was a 17-year-old aspiring singer in 2015.

Now 23, the witness also testified that she contracted herpes at age 17 from the singer after having sex with him. She said he had not told her that he had a sexually transmitted disease, as he was legally required to do.

"This man purposely gave me something he knew he had," she said. "He could have controlled the situation." Kelly's physician later testified that the singer had been prescribed herpes medication since 2007.

When she confronted him, he became "agitated and told me I could have gotten that from anyone. I told him I had only been intimate with him". When it became impossible for her to have sex due to pain, he complained that her body was "broken".


Another woman identified by the name Faith later testified that Kelly had infected her with herpes, and a third woman identified by the pseudonym Kate said that she was given a $200,000 settlement from Kelly after she caught the virus from him.



Additionally, Jane said that Kelly attempted to control every aspect of her daily life and would "chastise" her for any perceived disobedience. He would sometimes punish her by spanking her hard enough to leave bruises and make her "skin tear".

"I would get chastised nearly every two or three days," the woman said in court.


In one incident, Jane testified that Kelly assaulted her with a size 12 Air Force 1 shoe after discovering she had texted a friend about him. "He hit me all over," she said. "I was running from him and fighting back."

Jane also claimed that Kelly pressured her into having an unwanted abortion after he impregnated her. One of his assistants ultimately drove her to the clinic.

Kelly also forced Jane to record demeaning videos of herself as punishment, including one in which she had to smear faeces on her face, she said.

She added that he threatened to make her do it a second time because she "wasn't into it enough".


Another woman identified as Anna said Kelly made her record videos of "being sexual and seductive with bodily fluids".


Jerhonda Pace



The first witness, Jerhonda Johnson Pace, told the jury that R. Kelly knew she was underage in 2009 when they had intercourse in Chicago, where the age of consent is 17.

Now 28, she testified on the first day of the trial that she had initially told Kelly she was 19, but had revealed her real age on the day they had sex for the first time.

"He wanted me to put my hair up in pigtails and dress like a Girl Scout," she later told the court, adding that he took videos of their sexual encounters.

Ms Pace also testified that she was required to ask permission to use the toilet. "If I was on his good side," he would grant permission in a matter of minutes, she said, but when she was "on his bad side", she would be forced to wait for up to three days.


She said she was also required to acknowledge the singer whenever he entered a room, and was slapped and spat on when she did not address him quickly enough.

On cross-examination, defence lawyers had her admit that she had earned some $25,000 from a self-published book about her experiences with Kelly. She said that she had not been paid for any media appearances she has given.


'What are you willing to do for music?'





Two men took the stand to testify to the abuse they suffered during their times in the singer's entourage.

One man, testifying under the pseudonym Louis, said he first encountered Kelly in 2006, when he was a 17-year-old working the night shift at a McDonald's in Chicago.

He told the court that Kelly slipped him his phone number, and invited him to his house, saying he could perform in his recording studio. Kelly at one point asked him what he was "willing to do for music".

On one such occasion, the star asked Louis if he had ever "had any fantasies" involving men, then allegedly "crawled down on his knees and proceeded to give me oral sex" while he was underage.

Afterwards, "he told me to keep between him and me", adding, "we family now, we brothers".


Another man, using the name Alex, said he first met Kelly in high school before going on to have a relationship with him starting at age 20.

He said that Kelly forcibly kissed him on one occasion, telling him "just be open-minded".

Later on, Kelly would procure women for Alex to have sex with while Kelly watched and filmed, sometimes joining in or masturbating.

He described the women he slept with as "zombieish", saying he was forbidden from speaking to them outside of sex and from knowing their names.

Kelly, he said, referred to him by the nickname "nephew", despite having no family relation.

'I didn't want to be victim-shamed'



One woman, who testified under the name Addie said that she was raped by the singer backstage in Miami after a concert.

Addie said she and her friend had been approached by two men "who looked like bouncers" and invited backstage after the show.

Once there, she said Kelly cleared the room and violently raped her.

"At this point, I was in complete shock," she told the court. "I just went blank."



Afterwards, her friend wanted to contact the police but Addie feared she would be blacklisted by the entertainment industry if she came forward.

"I didn't even know if they would believe me," she said. "I didn't want to be victim-shamed."

The attack came only two days after Kelly's marriage to underage singer Aaliyah

thumbnail

Manny Pacquiao retires: Former eight-division champion walks away from boxing at 42 years old



Pacquiao completes his career with a loss to Yordenis Ugas as he turns his attention fully to politics and running for president of the Philippines

Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino icon who is the only boxer to win world titles in eight divisions, officially announced his retirement at age 42, in order to focus full-time on politics.  


In a 14-minute, 20-second video that was posted to his verified Facebook account on Tuesday night, Pacquiao said: "I am announcing my retirement. Goodbye, boxing."


Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs), who has served as a senator in his native Philippines since 2016, announced last week his candidacy for president in 2022. The "PacMan" last fought in August when he ended a two-year layoff in a decision loss to late replacement and WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas in their pay-per-view bout.  


The announcement, which was delivered by Pacquiao at a press conference Wednesday morning from the Philippines, brought to an end a legendary 26-year pro career that began in 1995 when a 16-year-old Pacquiao turned pro at 106 pounds. The lightning-quick southpaw would eventually take his talents to the U.S. for the first time in 2001 when, after joining forces with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao upset Lehlo Ledwaba via sixth-round TKO for the IBF junior featherweight title as a late replacement in Las Vegas.


"Boxing has always been my passion. I was given the opportunity of representing the Philippines, bringing fame and honor to my country every time I entered the ring. I am grateful for all my accomplishments and the opportunity to inspire the fans. 



"To the boxing fans all over the world, thank you very much. Thank you for always praying for me and watching my fights through the years. Who would have thought that Manny Pacquiao would end up with 12 major world titles across eight weight divisions? Even me, I'm amazed at what I have done, hold the record of being the only boxer to hold world titles in four different decades and become the old fighter to win a welterweight world title."



Can't get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news.


It wouldn't take long for Pacquiao to become an overnight sensation in boxing circles thanks to his explosive style. Despite steadily moving up in weight, Pacquiao remarkably carried his speed and power with him to co-author a number of instant classics in the coming years against Hall of Famers Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.  


Even though Pacquiao had become a burgeoning PPV brand along the way, it wasn't until he moved up even higher in 2008 to challenge Oscar De La Hoya at welterweight that he became a household name and global star. Pacquiao scored a major upset in sending De La Hoya to retirement via TKO and followed up with stoppage wins over Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.  


Soon, the drumbeat began to intensify for a superfight pairing Pacquiao against unbeaten pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather. A five-plus year courtship would follow -- in which Pacquiao won a world title as high as junior middleweight -- until the two took part in the richest fight in boxing history in 2015, which Mayweather won by decision.  



The final stretch of Pacquiao's career would see him split time between boxing and public service while using his fame to give back through numerous philanthropic endeavors. Age didn't stop Pacquiao from scoring big victories, however, as his "twilight" produced PPV wins over the likes of Timothy Bradley Jr., Jessie Vargas, Lucas Matthysse, Adrien Broner and, at the age of 40, a close decision win over unbeaten Keith Thurman to regain a piece of the welterweight title.  


thumbnail

Court Refuses EFCC from retrial of Former Governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu



A Federal High Court has prohibited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from retrying former Abia Governor, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu. Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the order while delivering judgment in an application filed by the former governor seeking an order of court prohibiting the EFCC from retrying him on a charge for which he had already been tried and convicted.




 The judge said: “An order is hereby made prohibiting the Federal Government through the EFCC from retryiing the applicant (Kalu) on charge no. FHC/ABJ/CR/56/2007 since there was no order in the judgment of the Supreme Court for the retrial of Kalu.”



thumbnail

Kogi State Born Tech Icon, David Odaibo Dies 7 Days After Winning $125m (N69billion) United State Government Contract



The 42 year old tech Master, David Gbodi Odaibo, who recently won a $125 million (approximately N69billion) U.S government contract, has reportedly died in his sleep.


The late David is a native of Ogori in Ogori-Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi state.


He wrote the algorithm for automatically detecting threats at Airports and won a $125 million contract from the Department of Homeland security about one week before his death.


His brother, Stephen Odaibo, made the revelation last Sunday, a day after the incident.


Stephen, who took to his Linkedin account, however, added that his brother was fully vaccinated and did not have COVID-19. 



According to him: “My brother passed away yesterday. My heart is broken. He had a cardiac arrhythmia/heart attack in his sleep. He was fully vaccinated and did not have covid. He and I were so close. David was kind, gentle, brilliant, and humble.

 

“He had a PhD in Computer Engineering and was a Kaggle Grandmaster, the highest attainable skill level in practical Machine Learning. He introduced me to AI. The algorithm he wrote for automatically detecting threats at Airports just won a $125 Million contract from Department of Homeland security about 1 week ago.



“His code beat out companies backed by Billions of dollars. So in the future when you safely fly the skies, please remember my brother David. Our hearts are broken. My poor parents, his wife and two young children. His 4 siblings. We are devastated.


“David and I were tremendously aligned in our interests and would often talk for hours. Our connection was rare and precious. We ended phone conversations with ‘love you’.


“Hug your loved ones and tell them you love them. Though there may be sorrow in the night, joy comes in the morning. I’m comforted that David is with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” he said.


Dr. Stephen G. Odaibo, brother of the tech genius, is Founder and CEO of RETINA-AI Health, a company building Artificial Intelligence to transform Healthcare. He is a Retina specialist, Mathematician, Computer Scientist, and Full-Stack Ai Engineer.

thumbnail

Lagos Government has Confirmed to Begin the 4th Mainland Bridge Construction By 1st Quarter of 2022.


 

As part of the strategies to reduce travel time across Lagos, the State Government has disclosed that construction work on the fourth Mainland bridge would kick-off before the end of 2022 first quarter.

It said that the construction kick-off date was fixed considering that other projects that could aid its efficiency were already getting close to completion date particularly the Lekki Regional Road Project.

The Special Adviser to governor on Works and Infrastructure, Aramide Adeyoye, disclosed the date during an inspection of the Lekki Regional Road Project, describing it as a precursor to the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge.

On the Regional road project, Adeyoye stated that several large pilling rings were ready and that the pile reinforcement cages to be used in foundation works for bridge signals were already done.

                                                    The proposed 4th mainland bridge


According to Adeyoye, the project is a precursor to the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge whose construction will begin in the first quarter of 2022.

The special adviser, yesterday, added that the project, regional road, would further open up the Lekki area to serve as alternative route and link to several communities and industrial areas.

She added that governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was committed to massive infrastructure delivery and listed several roads and bridges completed recently in the state, saying with roads, bridges, you cannot lie, its either you do them or you do not do them because these are things that people feel directly.

“And I want the citizens to believe in us; we told you we that will conclude and finish up with Pen Cinema Bridge, we have done that. We also told you that before the end of this administration, we would actually move on with the fourth Mainland Bridge and I just want you to believe. We told you we will give an alternative to the Lekki Epe Expressway and exactly that is what we are doing,” she said.

The governor’s aide explained that the project would decongest traffic within the Lekki sub region by providing access to VGC, Ikate Elegushi, Ikota, Chevron Drive, Ajiran, Pinnock Beach Estate, Gracefield Island and Orange Island and serve as an alternative to the Eti Osa-Epe Expressway.

She said that the 8.75 kilometre Lekki regional road, comprises a 500 meters bridge, 251 metres interchange 50 metres bicycle lane and an adjoining 500 metres road being handled by Messrs Hi-Tech Construction Company Ltd was at 23.56 per cent completion will link Lekki-Epe Expressway at Victoria Garden City (VGC) junction to the Freedom Way in Eti-Osa to resolve gridlock on the axis

‘The contractor is on-site and they have done a lot of work behind the scene, pilling works for the pedestrian bridges are completed and the bridges are already in place while a lot of sand filling dredging on the road alignment has been achieved,” she said.

earlier, the Managing Director, Hitech Construction Company Ltd, Danny Abboud, said that the firm had been working round the clock since they moved to the site to deliver the project on schedule.

Abboud said sand was being dredged directly from the Lagos Lagos to ease construction works on the Lekki Regional Road which spans from Victoria Garden City to connect Freedom Way at Lekki Scheme

It would be recalled that the project which was awarded in May, 2020 but construction began in August, 2020 was billed for completion in 22 Months, that is June, 2022.



thumbnail

UK Approves COVID-19 Vaccines Administered in Nigeria



The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, yesterday debunked statements suggesting that the COVID-19 vaccines administered in Nigeria were not approved by the UK.

She added that the claim was “completely untrue” and should be disregarded.

The UK has also moved Nigeria to the “rest of the world” travel list about the travel rule billed to take effect from October 4, 2021.


In a statement yesterday, Laing said the UK approves of vaccines currently in use in Nigeria irrespective of the manufacturer.

She said that Nigeria is on the “rest of the world” list, with simplified travel measures.She said the UK has so far donated 1.2 million vaccines to Nigeria through COVAX and will continue to support the country in accessing COVID-19 vaccines.

She encouraged all eligible Nigerians to get vaccinated to help stop the spread of the virus.

“The UK is committed to global access to vaccines and is among the largest funders to COVAX. The UK has donated 1.2 million vaccines specifically to Nigeria through COVAX and will continue to provide support,” Laing said.



“The UK strongly supports the work of the Nigerian health authorities and Nigeria’s vaccination campaign, and strongly encourages all eligible residents in Nigeria to get vaccinated. Only once we are all vaccinated can we end the spread of COVID-19.

“I would like to emphasise that any statements that COVID-19 vaccines administered in Nigeria are not approved by the UK are completely untrue. The UK recognises the Oxford-Astra Zeneca, Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines used in Nigeria, irrespective of where they are manufactured.”

Speaking about rules concerning international travel to the UK, the high commissioner said the UK is using the COVID-19 vaccination certification process to ensure people enter the country safely.



She said from October 4 the current travel system would be simplified and Nigeria which is currently on the amber list will be added to the ‘rest of the world’ list with simplified travel measures.

“The UK is committed to opening up international travel and we are using our COVID-19 vaccination certification process to enable those wishing to enter the UK to do so safely. We know these matters hugely to many people in the UK and Nigeria – the extensive people-people ties between our two countries are at the heart of our bilateral relationship,” she said.

“From 4 October, the current system will be simplified. There will be a single red list of countries and territories where stricter rules apply, and there will also be a ‘rest of the world’ list, with simplified travel measures. The ‘rest of the world’ list will include countries currently on the UK’s amber list, such as Nigeria.”

It would be recalled that the UK Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, had on September 17, 2021, announced a simplified system for international travel in light of the success of the country’s domestic vaccine rollout that provides greater stability for industry and passengers.

The UK proposed to replace the current traffic light system with a single red list of countries and territories to protect public health.

Testing requirements would also be reduced for eligible fully vaccinated travellers, who will no longer need to take a Pre-Departure Test when travelling to the UK from 4 a.m. of October 4.


thumbnail

Anthony Joshua has Comfirmed that he "will bounce back" and take rematch after Oleksandr Usyk defeat.


 

Anthony Joshua says he is "a different animal, not a sulker" and "will bounce back" from losing his world heavyweight titles to Oleksandr Usyk.


Joshua said he "couldn't see in round nine" after an eye injury sustained in Saturday's 12-round fight with the Ukrainian at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.


His promoter Eddie Hearn suggested his fighter may have suffered a broken eye socket.


"I can't go back and sulk - that's wasting time," Joshua, 31, said.


Asked after the fight about what went wrong, the defeated Briton said: "I couldn't see in the ninth round, couldn't see anything really because my eye was shut.


"It was a good experience because in adversity you've just got to learn to control yourself, stay on top of things, so when I couldn't see anything - it's the first time that it's happened in a fight."


Hearn had said Joshua had given Usyk, 34, too much respect and would have to make "fundamental changes" to regain the WBA, WBO and IBF titles he lost in the fight.


The Briton has a rematch clause in his contract with Usyk, and later confirmed he would take it.

Joshua added: "When I was walking back through the tunnel, I just said to myself, 'I'm ready to get back to the gym, I'm ready to just put that work in'.



"I just want to get back to the gym, get back on the grind and improve, so when I fight these good guys and see that they are hurt I can capitalise on the opportunity.


"It was a great lesson today. I know we can look at it from a negative point of view but, for me, I've got to take it as a great lesson and build on that situation.


"I never tend to look at the opponent. I just tend to look at myself and realise where I went wrong. So it's not so much what he done, it's the opportunities that I gave him. It's not so much him. I'm just going to go back and look at myself and correct my wrongs.


"I'm a different kind of animal. I'm not a sulker. This is a blessed opportunity, to be able to fight for the heavyweight title of the world, fight good fighters time and time again and for people to come out.


"I'm not going to be going home and be crying about it, because this is war. It's a long process. This isn't just one fight and then I'm done.


"I'm going back to look at way that I can improve. Straight away, I've already been watching the fight and thinking 'I could've done that better'."

thumbnail

Anthony Joshua Loses Heavyweight Champion To Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk In First London Defeat


 

Oleksandr Usyk was crowned as the new unified world heavyweight champion after a unanimous decision win over Anthony Joshua.


Oleksandr Usyk shook up the heavyweight division to become a two-weight world champion with a stunning win over Anthony Joshua for the WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight titles on Saturday.


The Ukrainian dominated much of the fight, rocking Joshua in the third round and the seventh round, and won by the judges' scores of 117-112, 116-112, 115-113.


Usyk improves to 19-0 (13 KOs) while Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) tasted defeat in London for the first time in his career in front of a 68,000 home crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.


Joshua, the naturally bigger man who has lost the titles for a second time in two years, is now counting the considerable cost of another shock defeat which ends his hopes of fighting English rival Tyson Fury for all four world heavyweight titles next year.


Oleksandr Usyk was crowned as the new unified world heavyweight champion after a unanimous decision win over Anthony Joshua.


Anthony Joshua earlier said he had no intention of vacating any of his heavyweight belts.


The British boxer put his WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight belts on the line against the WBO mandatory challenger from Ukraine in London on Saturday.


Usyk has become the third boxer after Evander Holyfield and David Haye to win world titles at cruiserweight and


The 34-year-old won heavyweight gold at the London 2012 Olympics while Joshua triumphed in the super-heavyweight division.


Before the fight, Joshua weighed in 19 pounds heavier than Usyk.


Britain’s Joshua, 31, tipped the scales at 240 pounds (109 kilograms), with the Ukrainian challenger coming in at a career-high 221.25 pounds.

About

Powered by Blogger.

Blog Archive

Ad Code

Categories

Ad

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

Subscribe Us