This week it’s been reported that singer R. Kelly was attacked by a frustrated inmate during a recent incident at the Chicago federal lockup where he is currently being held.
Thursday, TMZ reported that Kelly, who is currently awaiting trial on a series of sexual assault charges, was in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center when a fellow inmate walked over to his bed and started pummeling him.
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The inmate was allegedly upset because protests being held by Kelly supporters outside of the jail led to recent lockdowns. Following the beating, the singer was examined by a doctor, and although shaken up, was able to avoid any serious injury.
A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau Of Prisons told the publication, “it cannot comment on an individual inmate’s conditions of confinement or medical status due to privacy and safety reasons.”
According to TMZ, Kelly’s lawyer, Steven Greenberg, would only say that Kelly’s been a “model inmate.”
As theGrio previously reported, the entertainer is going back to trial on racketeering and sex trafficking charges but New York City federal prosecutors are requesting his jury remain anonymous to the public, prosecutors, and the defense team during proceedings.
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Federal prosecutors also want the Kelly jury to be barred from media communications, given that the singer’s trial will be a high-profile case and that he has a history of interfering with legal proceedings.
During Kelly’s 2008 state trial in Illinois, he allegedly persuaded numerous people to make false testimonies before a grand jury. To ensure that doesn’t happen again, the prosecution wants jurors to eat their lunch away from the public and be accompanied in and out of the courthouse.
Kelly’s legal counsel has reportedly agreed to those terms.
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