This from CMU:
There was good news, of sorts, for R Kelly on Friday when seven of the 21
child pornography charges against him were dismissed on a technicality. As
previously reported at length, the child sex case against Kelly has dragged on for a long time, and much of the case is based on a video tape that allegedly shows the singer having sex with a minor.
The technicality that forced seven charges to be dropped is based around the
vagueness of prosecution wording and as to when said tape was recorded.
Seven charges were based around the claim that Kelly "solicited, used,
persuaded, induced, enticed or coerced" the alleged victim into making the
sex tape. Kelly's lawyers argue that elements of that charge (the enticement
and coersion) only became illegal with the June 1999 Safe Neighborhoods Act,
and given that it is unclear when, between 1997 and 2002, this video was made, there is a chance no law was broken even if Kelly did coerce a minor into making the tape.
The court agreed with that logic leaving Kelly's defence team buoyant as they begin to fight ten other motions against the prosecution's case.
At the same hearing Kelly was given permission to attend the Soul Train Music Awards on 20 Mar in LA. Because of his bail conditions Kelly has to get court permission each time he wants to leave his home state.
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