The child pornography trial in which R&B star R Kelly is involved is set to start today (Tuesday) with the presenting of the opening arguments by lawyers in the Chicago court.
 
The selection of the jury was completed last week as the court picked 12 jurors and four "alternate" jurors from an initial pool of 150. Among the jury there is a man who spent five days in prison for smoking marijuana and the wife of a Baptist preacher, CNN reported.

The Chicago-native singer was brought to court after police discovered a videotape of him having sex with a girl as young as 13.

Prosecutors face a tough task because the girl is now 23 years old and she said it’s not her in the video recording. R. Kelly – birth name Robert Sylvester Kelly – also denies any involvement.

However, it appears that a woman is due to testify at the upcoming trial that she had a three-way sexual encounter with the R&B star and the allegedly underage girl shown in the footage at the heart of the case.

The media will have no access to transcripts of any parts of the hearing. On Friday, Judge Vincent Gaughan refused the media request for access. He also wouldn’t lift the gagging order which forbids lawyers to talk about the case.

Judge Gaughan argued that he just wants a fair trial and the measures taken are a vital element for the court to reach that goal.

R. Kelly, 41, was charged in 2002 with 21 counts relating to child pornography. He was released on $750,000 bail and since then seven of those charges were dropped.

However, if prosecutors can prove the videotape features R. Kelly and an underage girl, the R&B superstar known for his hits She's Got That Vibe and I Believe I Can Fly, could get as many as 15 years in jail.

The Grammy Award winner has already settled three lawsuits which brought similar accusations against him.