R Kelly has been found guilty of racketeering and trafficking in his sex abuse trial in Brooklyn, New York.

The R&B singer was accused of exploiting his fame to lure women and underage girls for sex.

The 54-year-old had pleaded not guilty to racketeering and eight counts of violating a federal law making it illegal to transport people across state lines for prostitution.

A jury of seven men and five women found Kelly guilty on all counts after just their second day of deliberations.

Witnesses said Kelly subjected them to perverse and sadistic whims when they were underage, believing “the music, the fame and the celebrity meant he could do whatever he wanted”, assistant US attorney Nadia Shihata said.

She added that his alleged victims “aren’t groupies or gold diggers, they’re human beings”.

Prosecutors argued that his entourage of managers and staff who helped Kelly meet girls and keep them under control amounted to a criminal enterprise.

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Despite the abuse, the singer continued to tour and make music – even after it came to light that he had married R&B star Aliyah when she was just 15.

The court heard that he had ordered a former manager to fake documents in order for the marriage to be conducted.

Gloria Allred, a lawyer for some of the victims, said: “I have been practising law for 47 years. During this time, I have pursued many sexual predators who have committed crimes against women and children. Of all the predators that I have pursued however, Mr Kelly is the worst for many reasons.”

Speaking outside the courtroom, Deveraux Cannick, a lawyer for Kelly, said the defence was “disappointed”.

Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is due to be sentenced on 4 May, 2022.

He is one of the most prominent people tried on sex abuse charges during the #MeToo movement following accusations that had been following him since the early 2000s.

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