R. Kelly dodges ‘life sentence’ in child porn case

R. Kelly dodged an effective life sentence Thursday when a Chicago judge tacked on just one extra year to his 30-year punishment behind bars.

The 56-year-old disgraced R&B singer was sentenced in his Illinois case to 20 years in prison — with 19 to run concurrently with his existing, 30-year sentence out of Brooklyn.

That means he’ll only serve one extra year behind bars, and would be eligible for release when he is 80 years old.

Chicago prosecutors had asked that Kelly be slapped with 25 years, to be served consecutively with the Brooklyn case — which would’ve meant the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer would be eligible for release in 2066 at age 99, effectively amounting to a life sentence.

Chicago federal court Judge HarryLeinenweber had said at the start of the hearing that he disagreed with prosecutors that Kelly had used fear as a tactic for ensnaring minor sex abuse victims.

“The [government’s[ whole theory of grooming, was sort of the opposite of fear of bodily harm,” the judge told the court. “It was the fear of lost love, lost affections [from Kelly]. … It just doesn’t seem to me that it rises to the fear of bodily harm.”

The sentence came after a Chicago jury last year convicted the perv, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, on six of 13 counts — three of them for producing child porn in connection with videos of himself abusing his 14-year-old goddaughter, and three of enticement of minors for sex.

Kelly spoke at the start of Thursday’s hearing, answering US District Judge Harry Leinenweber when he asked if he had reviewed evidence for any inaccuracies.

“Your honor, I have gone over it with my attorney,” Kelly said. “I’m just relying on my attorney for that.”

Defense lawyer Jennifer Bonjean told the court that she had advised her client not to address his victims, and asked the judge not to view his silence as a lack of remorse.

“He would like to [speak], he would like to very much,” she said, but noted he was undergoing appeals processes and could still face additional legal action.

Two accusers read statements aloud in court, asking the judge to harshly punish the convicted sexual predator.

“I have lost my dreams to Robert Kelly,” a woman who addressed the court under the pseudonym “Jane” said. “I will never get back what I lost to Robert Kelly. … I have been permanently scarred by Robert.”

“When your virginity is taken by a pedophile at 14 … your life is never your own,” she continued.

Another accuser had addressed Kelly directly, speaking under the pseudonym “Nina.”

“Now you are here … because there is something wrong with you,” she said, as her voice quivered. “No longer will you be able to harm children.”

Kelly was acquitted of charges that he had rigged the not-guilty results of a 2008 child porn trial, in addition to being cleared of three counts of conspiring to receive child pornography and two enticement charges.

Defense attorneys argued that Kelly should be slapped with a 10-year sentence, served concurrently with his current prison term.

Last month, Cook County, Illinois, Judge Lawrence Flood dropped additional sex abuse charges in connection with alleged abuse of three minors and one woman by Kelly at the advice of a prosecutor.

State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said she was comfortable with the dismissal of the state charges because the three-time Grammy winner was set to spend decades behind bars.

The move prompted accuser Lanita Carter to rail that “justice was denied” for her.

“I have spent nearly 20 years hoping that my abuser would be brought to justice for what he did to me,” Carter said.

Another sexual misconduct case against Kelly is pending in Minnesota.

Kelly, who illegally married the late singer Aaliyah when she was just 15 after falsifying documents, was the target of widespread outrage and criminal charges after the 2019 Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” detailed his penchant for abusing minors.

With Post wires