Thursday 30 June 2022 06:42 AM R Kelly's victims stunned and relieved after finally getting justice trends now

Women who were trafficked and abused by singer R Kelly wept with relief outside court on Wednesday, as the 55-year-old was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.

Seven women spoke before Judge Ann Donnelly sentenced him, with one anonymous victim telling him: 'You degraded me, humiliated me and broke my spirit. I wished I would die because of how you degraded me.'

Donnelly, whose sentence was even harsher than the federal prosecutors requested, told Kelly: 'You left in your wake a trail of broken lives.'

Lizzette Martinez, who was a 17-year-old cheerleader at North Miami Beach Senior High School when she met a then-28-year-old Kelly, said she was glad the trial was over.

She described herself to the reporters as an 'up-and-coming singer, a girl full of life' before she met R Kelly. She said she then became 'a sex slave.'

'I never thought that I would be here to see him be held accountable for the atrocious things that he did to children,' she said, speaking outside the Brooklyn courtroom.

She said his 30-year sentence was not enough, 'but I'm pleased with it. It's fine.' 

Martinez, who spoke with her attorney Gloria Allred by her side, told the court earlier that he started abusing her two months after they met. 

'I was left in shock, confused and in tears,' she said. 

'I do not know how to put a price on all I've gone through. I am now 45, a mother and I struggle with mental health.'

Kelly did not look at Kelly Martinez as she spoke. 

'Robert, you destroyed so many people's lives,' she told him.

Jovante Cunningham, who was 14 when she met the singer and then became one of his backing dancers, echoed Martinez in saying she never dared dream of justice.

'There wasn't a day in my life, up until this moment, that I actually believed that the judicial system would come through for black and brown girls,' she said. 

'Thirty years did he do this, and 30 years is what he got.' 

She told reporters outside court: 'Being in a situation as such affords you the ability to be re-victimized over and over again in different areas of your life. 

'When you are taught to be quiet and to keep silent about things that should be spoken about openly, you find yourself reclused. 

'And that often affords people the ability to manipulate you.' 

Asked who forced her to keep quiet, she replied: 'Society. When people are telling you you're not telling the truth and there's no support.'

Gloria Allred, the lawyer for the victims, said she was proud of the them for their fight.

'They wanted the court to understand their pain,' she said. 

'Together they were able to fight his power by becoming empowered,' she added. 'I'm proud of all of them.' 

Breon Peace, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, praised the women for their bravery in coming forward.

He said the sentence is a 'significant' outcome for all his victims, calling Kelly 'a predator.' 

'He continued committing his crimes for almost 30 years and avoided punishment — until today,' Peace said.

'These are the voices of mostly black and brown women and children who were heard and believed. 

'Justice was finally achieved. This is a victory for them, for justice, and victims of sexual assault. 

'Victims must be heard, perpetrators must be held accountable, and women and children must be protected.'

He said he hopes the sentencing shows that 'it doesn't matter how rich, and famous' an abuser is to be brought to justice.

Kelly's lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, also spoke outside court.

'He's not a predator,' Bonjean said.

'He has regrets and he is sad,' she added. 

'He disagrees with the characterizations that have been made about him.'

Bonjean, who said Kelly 'was prepared for it,' added they plan to appeal: 'Thirty years in prison is like a life sentence for him.'

Kelly, 55, was convicted on sex-trafficking and racketeering charges last September following a nearly six-week trial.

Accusations had dogged the singer of the Grammy-winning hit 'I Believe I Can Fly' since the early 2000s.

Judge Ann Donnelly handed down Kelly's sentence in Brooklyn Federal Court on Wednesday, despite the defense lawyers' request for a sentence of 10 years or less. 

Prosecutors had asked for at least 25 years. 

Donnelly told Kelly that 'the most seasoned investigators will not forget the horrors your victims endured.'

She continued: 'These crimes were calculated and carefully planned and regularly executed for almost 25 years. 

'You taught them that love is enslavement and violence.'

Kelly, who declined to speak at his sentencing, learned his fate after some of his accusers told the court, through tears and anger, that he had preyed on them and misled his fans. 

He was also was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine.

Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, has been detained at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his trial. 

It has not been revealed where Kelly would spend his sentence.