Prison guards didn’t stop the singer from being beaten by another inmate inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center, his attorneys claim.
53-year-old R. Kelly suffered ‘significant physical and psychological injuries’ from the attack, a new motion stated. His lawyers also claim the incident could’ve been ‘encouraged’ by guards in the facility.
The singer awaits trial on multiple counts of state and federal sexual misconduct charges in New York, Minnesota, and Illinois.
According to a report from the US Bureau of Prisons, the 53-year-old was ambushed by Jeremiah Shane Farmer while he was sleeping on the bottom bunk of his cell.
Farmer reportedly entered Kelly’s prison cell on August 26 and the singer was only rescued after security personnel used pepper spray on the attacker.
But in a motion filed on Friday, the singer’s attorneys claim that the security video shows a different version of events.
They wrote that the video shows the attacker who managed to “roam a great distance” away from the prison guards and “no one at the MCC raised a finger to stop Mr. Farmer from attacking Mr. Kelly until Mr. Farmer was well into beating.”
The attorneys added: “An unresolved issue remains as to whether MCC personnel encouraged, and then allowed, a beating of Mr. Kelly to take place. That alone merits an evidentiary hearing.”
Last month, Farmer claimed he was ‘forced’ to attack the singer “in hopes of getting spotlight attention and world news notice to shed light on the government corruption,” court documents obtained by The Chicago Tribune reads.
Those documents added: “It appears that MCC personnel simply followed Mr. Farmer, allowed him to carry out the attack, and then only intervened after Mr. Kelly had already sustained serious injuries.”
Thomas Farinella, Kelly’s attorney, said: “Mr. Kelly was the victim of an unprovoked attack while incarcerated at the MCC because of who he is.”
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Replaced!