R. Kelly faces new sexual assault allegations

Los Angeles, Feb 15 (IANS) Lawyer Michael Avenatti has released a video tape which allegedly shows rapper R. Kelly sexually assaulting a minor girl.Avenatti on Thursday took to Twitter and claimed that he has handed over the video to police in which the "Ignition" hitmaker is seen having sex with the 14-year-old girl, reports cnn.com."My client knows the identity of the girl and R. Kelly. He identified the two of them on the videotape. He worked for and has known R. Kelly for decades, and he met the girl on a number of occasions," said Avenatti, who is reportedly representing an individual who the attorney describes as a whistleblower against Kelly.Kelly was previously arrested in 2002 for his alleged involvement in a child pornography tape that featured similar sexual acts. Following the new allegations, Kelly's lawyer Steve Greenberg said: "We are unaware of any new information involving Mr. Kelly. We have not been contacted by anyone. We have not been informed about any new information by anyone and we have not been contacted by law enforcement."
--IANS sim/sug/ab