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Friday, August 24, 2007

With R. Kelly's child pornography trial less than a month away, prosecutors are saying that the veins in his hands will prove that Kelly is the man featured in the infamous video tape, having sex with an under-aged girl.

According to chicago's CBSb affiliate WBBM, during a pre-trial motion yesterday (August 21), prosecutors said they hope to bring in an expert witness who has examined the vein patterns of the man's hand in the videotape, which they believe is consistent with Kelly's hand.

Defense attorneys scoffed at the tactic, calling it bad science and not as conclusive as using fingerprints. Judge Vincent Gaughan temporarily put off a ruling on the prosecution's motion to bring in this witness.

The judge also ruled that both the jury and media will be allowed to view the entire 26-minute video that allegedly shows Kelly, among other things, urinating on an under-aged girl. Lawyers for the prosecution apparently asked the judge to reconsider the decision, alleging that it may re-victimize the girl in the video. But judge Gaughan upheld his decision, saying the young woman that prosecutors say is featured on the tape has denied it is her.

As previously reported by SOHH, the alleged girl in the tape, is set to testify in the r&b superstar's defense, denying she is the young girl in the video. She is identified as the daughter of a man who played bass in Kelly's band, and Kelly refers to the girl as his "goddaughter" in the liner notes of his TP2.com album. She will be turning 23 in September.

While she is a witness for the defense, prosecutors are expected to counter those claims by calling to the stand the young woman's relatives, friends, parents of friends, and others, to testify that she is the girl in the video, and that she was about 14 when it was made.

The girl and her parents reportedly have told police and a grand jury that it was not her. Refuting the claim is the girl's aunt, former R&B artist, and Kelly protégé, Sparkle, who confirmed that it is indeed her niece in the video.

The Chicago-bred crooner is facing 14 counts of child pornography and is facing up to 15 years in prison if convicted. The trial is set to begin on september 17.S

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