The trial of the US R&B singer R Kelly has begun at a court in Brooklyn, New York.
The star is accused of racketeering, sexual abuse and bribery; charges which he has repeatedly denied.
BBC News reports some of the allegations made against the singer date back more than 20 years.
If he is convicted on all counts he could be sentenced to several decades in prison.
Opening statements are being delivered to a jury of seven men and five women, who will decide the 54-year-old singer's fate.
Kelly faces charges that he was the ringleader of a two-decade scheme where he recruited women and underage girls for sex.
[Source: BBC ]