An appeals court in New York upheld the decision by a federal judge on Tuesday to keep R. Kelly behind bars while he awaits multiple trials on child pornography charges, Billboard reports.
R. Kelly’s attorney argued that he should be granted bail after being attacked by an inmate last month at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, where he is facing several charges ranging from sexual assault to racketeering in Illinois, Minnesota, and New York.
However, Prosecutors argued that the singer is a flight risk and danger to the community and the judge agreed, saying that “no condition or combination of conditions could assure against those risks.”
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld the lower court decision that Kelly failed to demonstrate a “compelling reason” for temporary release. One of the singer’s attorneys, Mike Leonard, said the ruling was “very disappointing and somewhat surprising.”
Kelly has a bail application pending in Chicago, but the New York ruling would keep him behind bars even if he were granted bail in Illinois.
“The so-called maxim of the presumption of innocence appears to be a misnomer,” Thomas Farinella, another of Kelly’s attorneys, said. “We will continue to vigorously fight for Mr. Kelly’s vindication.”
Kelly has vehemently denied all allegations against him.
