Singer R Kelly is in police custody in Chicago after turning himself in at the Chicago police precinct on Friday night. Earlier in the day, the R&B star had been charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Illinois for incidents dating back as far as May 1998. Numerous women have accused Kelly, 52, of sexual abuse over the past 20 years but he has only appeared before a judge once. The new charges, filed in Cook county, include nine counts of sexual abuse of three victims aged between 13 and 17, according to court documents seen by the Guardian. The 10th count did not specify the age of the fourth victim. The singer, born Robert Kelly, is expected to appear in court for a bond hearing on Saturday, said the Cook county state’s attorney, Kim Foxx. Kelly, who was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008, has consistently denied any sexual misconduct. “He is extraordinarily disappointed and depressed. He is shell-shocked by this,” Steve Greenberg, Kelly’s attorney, said. Multiple women have accused Kelly of violent and controlling behavior, including allegations he had sex with girls as young as 14 and brainwashed young women in what their parents described as a “cult”. A recently aired documentary, Surviving R Kelly, featured testimony from some of these women and prompted new investigations. Published in Daily Times, February 24th 2019.