Disgraced R&B star R Kelly has been removed from suicide watch at the Brooklyn jail where he is beginning a 30-year sentence for sex trafficking, US authorities have said.

The 55-year-old – whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly – was found guilty of racketeering and trafficking following a high-profile trial in New York in 2021.

Officials said he had been placed on suicide watch due to the “emotional distress” of his current situation.

In a court filing, prosecutors said he was removed from the watch following a clinical assessment.

Kelly’s lawyer Jennifer Bonjean confirmed the singer is no longer on suicide watch, but said he plans to press ahead with a lawsuit.

He is suing the Metropolitan Detention Center, saying jail officials ordered the watch immediately after his 29 June sentencing “solely for punitive purposes” and because he was a “high-profile” inmate.

She suggested in an email that the removal was a tactic to thwart his lawsuit, which seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

R Kelly on suicide watch ‘for his own safety’ not as a form of punishment, US authorities say

R Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison – as survivors confront him over ‘despicable’ abuse

R Kelly is a ‘serious danger to the public’ and should serve at least 25 years in prison, federal prosecutors say

The Federal Bureau of Prisons, which runs the Brooklyn jail, has declined to comment.

Known for the 1996 Grammy-winning hit I Believe I Can Fly, Kelly was convicted last September.

Prosecutors said Kelly exploited his stardom and wealth over two decades to lure women and girls into his orbit for sex, with the help of his entourage.

Read more:
R Kelly convicted: Why did it take 30 years to get justice?

Kelly has repeatedly denied accusations of sexual abuse.

He still faces a trial in Chicago on child pornography and obstruction charges, and various state charges in Illinois and Minnesota.

Related posts:

I Care A Lot, Bloodlands and Pennyworth Rocks – with cast of unknowns – wins big at British Independent Film Awards Kate Garraway’s emotional footage of husband’s year-long COVID fight to air in documentary Friends reunion breaks record for Sky One’s most-watched show Sacha Baron Cohen sues cannabis company for use of Borat in advertising ‘There were times it was unmanageable’: Actor opens up about struggling with OCD Sir Elton John spotted with walking stick in public for first time as he’s handed royal award Kylie Jenner’s son named in Instagram post – as picture of baby boy gets millions of likes Kanye West is blocked from Instagram over ‘bullying’ in spat with Pete Davidson Not ‘fit and proper’: Russia Today has its licence to broadcast in UK revoked with immediate effect Comedian Pete Davidson drops out of Jeff Bezos’s latest space flight Kendrick Lamar makes blood-soaked plea for women’s rights at Glastonbury in apparent attack on abortion ruling