By Seyi Babalola
R. Kelly, the convicted American R&B artist, was recently hospitalised while in prison.
On Friday, June 13, the singer was transported to Duke University Hospital after apparently collapsing in the federal correctional establishment in Butner, North Carolina.
His lawyer said that the 58-year-old convicted sex trafficker was hospitalised after overdosing on medications supplied by a jail officer.
According to The Guardian, R. Kelly’s lawyer, in a new court filing on Monday, alleged that the singer “had been placed in solitary confinement on 10 June and was given medication by a prison official.
“On 13 June, Kelly was feeling faint and fell to the ground when he tried to get up. He crawled to the door of the cell and lost consciousness.
At the hospital, he learned that he had been administered an overdose quantity of his medications that threatened his life”, the latest court document stated.
The court filing accused officers of denying R. Kelly surgery after a surgical consultation.
During the ambulance ride to the hospital, the singer allegedly overheard a prison officer saying, “This is going to open a whole new can of worms.”
Kelly, who was convicted in 2021 on racketeering and sex trafficking charges, is currently serving a 30-year sentence.
In a separate case, he was sentenced to an additional 20 years for child pornography and enticement of minors, to be served concurrently.