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Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, R Kelly has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against four women, three of whom were minors at the time of the offences.
The 52-year-old appeared in the Chicago court to enter his plea, after turning himself in to authorities on Friday when an arrest warrant was issued.
The R&B singer has faced decades of sexual abuse claims, many of which were aired in the recent documentary Surviving R Kelly, which included allegations from the star’s former wife.
Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, has denied all previous allegations.
In 2002, he was charged with 21 counts of making child pornography, involving intercourse, oral sex, urination and other sexual acts. When the case went to trial six years later, the jury concluded they could not prove the girl on the tape was a minor and he was found not guilty on all counts.
Now, he is facing charges for alleged sexual assaults dating back to 1998. According to the BBC, Kelly met one of the four women at a restaurant on her 16th birthday, and other – also aged 16 – when she asked him for an autograph.
He reportedly struggled to pay the US$100,000 bail fee, and was ordered to give up his passport and to have no contact with anyone under the age of 18.
His next court appearance is scheduled for March 22.
