Cameras will be allowed in the courtroom during the trial and pre-trial hearings in but the R&B singer's accusers can't be photographed or filmed without their consent, a US judge has ruled.
The Grammy-winning singer didn't attend the brief hearing in Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, but his lawyer took a similar position to the lawyer for Empire actor Jussie Smollett earlier this week and welcomed cameras in the courtroom.
Singer R.Kelly - real name Robert Kelly - arrives at court earlier this year. Source: AP
"Mr. Kelly wants this to be an open and transparent process," said lawyer Steve Greenberg.
"So far there have been rumours, there have been allegations ... but with cameras in the courtroom, everyone will see what really happens."
Associate Judge Lawrence Flood said cameras will be allowed going forward, beginning with the next hearing on March 22.
have already indicated that they don't want to be photographed, filmed, or have their voices recorded in court.
R Kelly leaves his Chicago studio on his way to surrender to police. Source: AAP
Kelly, 52, has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse pertaining to four women, including three who were minors at the time the abuse allegedly occurred.
The abuse in question is alleged to have occurred over roughly a decade, starting in the late 1990s.
Kelly has been trailed for decades by allegations that he victimised women and girls, though he was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008 related to a tape that prosecutors said showed him having sex with a girl as young as 13.
The singer maintains that he is innocent and has said he has never had sex with a minor.
