New York - Six years after being accused of appearing in a sex tape with a girl as young as 13, R&B star R. Kelly finally went on trial Friday on child porn charges. Kelly, 41, denies being the person on the tape, as does the alleged victim, now 23. If convicted Kelly, whose most famous hit is I believe I Can Fly, faces up to 15 years in jail.
Jury selection in the Chicago trial is expected to last till next week. The trial went ahead after the judge rejected a last-ditch motion for a postponement by Kelly's lawyers who claimed that a recent "torrent of publicity" would deny him a fair trial.
Interest in the trial in Chicago has surged in recent days following reports that a new witness had stepped forward to testify that she appeared in another sex video with the alleged victim and Kelly. The woman claimed Kelly paid her off for the return of the tape.
Concurrent to the charges, Kelly is involved in lawsuits with four women who all claim he had underage sex with them.
The Grammy-award winning artist is accused of filming himself having sex with a girl as young as 13 some time between January 1, 1998, and November 1, 2000.
