R. Kelly is happy to have been put in solitary confinement in jail because he fears someone will try to kill him.
The disgraced singer is currently behind bars after being denied bond by a judge earlier this week but he’s told his lawyer, Nicole Blank Becker, that he doesn’t mind being in solitary confinement in federal prison because he feels safer as he’s aware other inmates know he’s been accused of sex crimes involving underage girls.
However, his attorney told TMZ that the ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ hitmaker being in solitary could be problematic because he has no one to lean on for support or help. Kelly is unable to read or write, so that makes even basic tasks, such as what is on the commissary list, incredibly difficult.
Whereas prisoners typically have access to the phone at all times, the ‘Ignition’ singer can make calls for a total of 15 minutes a month to speak with family and friends. There is also no access to the TV or internet.
As reported by The Sauce, Kelly appeared in court earlier this week to plead not guilty to 13 alleged sex trafficking charges. During the hearing, prosecutors insisted he should be held in hail as the risk of obstruction is still ongoing, and alleged Kelly is a danger to the community, especially young girls.
They said: “[Kelly has the] unique ability to influence and intimidate witnesses and victims, and that continues to this day. It’s who the defendant is.”
The star’s lawyer, Steve Greenberg, argued Kelly is no longer a risk to minors as all but one of the allegations against him date back to the 90s, and insisted his client isn’t a flight risk as he’s already surrendered his passport to the authorities and doesn’t like to fly.
Greenberg also noted the 52-year-old musician would make a “difficult prisoner” because of his notoriety, but the judge eventually sided with the prosecution, saying that the allegation of child pornography alone comes with a “presumption of detention”.
The hearing came a month after Kelly was last in court to plead not guilty to 11 felonies related to sexual assault and abuse in Illinois, including five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and two counts of criminal sexual assault. Kelly was also previously faced with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse when four women accused him of sexually abusing them, three of whom claim they were underage at the time of the alleged incidents.
The musician has denied all allegations levelled against him after the airing of the infamous ‘Surviving R.Kelly‘
