30 Year Sentence Handed Down to R Kelly.

The artist who is now 55 years old, will be well into his 80’s by the time his sentence ends. His attorneys have indicated plans to appeal.

Dressed in prison khakis and dark glasses, Kelly declined to make a statement of his own and did not react as the verdict was handed down.

US District Judge Ann Donnelly said the celebrity had used sex as a weapon, forcing his victims to do unspeakable things and saddling some with sexually transmitted diseases.

“You taught them that love is enslavement and violence,” she said.

The court heard how Kelly – known for hit songs like “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Ignition” – used his influence to lure women and children into sexual abuse for over 20 years.

The court also heard how Kelly had illegally obtained paperwork to marry singer Aaliyah when she was 15 in 1994, seven years before the singer died in a plane crash.

The certificate, leaked at the time, listed Aaliyah’s age as 18. The marriage was annulled months later.