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Music

02nd May 2019

R Kelly’s lawyer: I’m happy defending anyone, I have defended serial child rapist killers

Kyle Picknell

The musician is currently awaiting trial for 10 counts of sexual abuse

The man representing R Kelly, Steven Greenberg, has defended his client as he awaits trial after it was alleged he keeps women hostage in his home and operates a sex cult.

Speaking on BBC podcast The Next Episode, in an instalment entitled ‘Defending R Kelly’, the lawyer said: “They’re not hostages. I have been over to his condo. We’ve been reading, we’ve been talking about stuff. We decided we wanted to get something to eat. The two girls went out to Chipotle, down the street to get the food and bring it back.”

R Kelly is also accused of sexually abusing four women, three of whom were underage at the time the crimes allegedly took place, but Greenberg is confident of “winning” the trial.

He compared the situation to a sporting event, stating that: “When you beat the better team… When they’ve got the better players and they’ve got the better resources, it’s a great thrill when you win.”

“Losing every case hurts. No matter what the facts are, no matter who the person is, no matter how guilty they may be,” he explained, before adding that he is “happy” regardless of what his client is charged with.

“I’m happy defending anyone. I have defended serial child rapist killers. I have defended mass murderers. It is not my job to make a value judgment as to whether someone’s conduct is right or wrong morally.”

The high profile criminal defence lawyer believes the case will end in a dismissal or not guilty verdict for the singer, and refutes the claims made by the prosecution that they have in their possession a new video tape which they say shows R Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old girl.

“There is no new video out there. That is not correct,” Greenberg said, despite American news network CNN also professing to have seen the footage.

“I don’t care if they’ve seen it. I don’t believe that’s child pornography of R Kelly. It might be child pornography of someone else, I don’t know. It may not be child pornography at all.

“That is not a new or different video than the video that a jury decided was not R Kelly.”

The 52-year-old faces up to 70 years in prison if he is found guilty.