r kelly, pedo? Options

[Divergent Realit...]

here

Grammy Award-winning R&B singer R Kelly will go on trial in September on child pornography charges, say prosecutors in Chicago.

Jury selection would begin Sept. 17, they said Wednesday.

The court date was announced five years after accusations surfaced against Kelly, whose real name is Robert Kelly. If convicted, he could get a 15-year sentence.

His representatives say the singer is ready to face trial.

"He believes in our system of justice and is looking forward to finally having his day in court," Allan Mayer, a spokesman for Kelly, told the Chicago Sun-Times.

"He's confident that when all the facts come out, it will be clear that he is not guilty of any crime."

The singer is accused of videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl. Prosecutors say she could have been as young as 13.

Prosecutors charged the 40-year-old singer with 14 counts of child pornography in 2002.

Defence attorneys contend the girl isn't that young and dispute whether Kelly is the man on the tape. The underground tape has been widely circulated.

The trial has been delayed by arguments over when the video was made, then the trial judge had an accident in 2006 and needed time to recuperate. In February, the singer's appendix burst just when he was to return to court.

huh. another reason to dislike rap...