The alleged woman in R Kelly’s ongoing child pornography trial denies it is she, at age 13, in the video that generated the current state of affairs; four witnesses however have testified otherwise.

At the center of the prosecution’s case in the Chicago trial of R&B singer R Kelly on charges of child pornography, is a videotape allegedly showing the singer engage in sexual acts with a girl allegedly aged 13.

Law-enforcement officials say the video in question was made between Jan. 1, 1998, and Nov. 1, 2000. Both Kelly and his supposed victim deny being in the video.

The 41-year-old artist was charged in 2002 with 21 counts relating to child pornography. He was released on $750,000 bail; seven of those charges have been dropped in the meantime. Kelly, full name Robert Kelly, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The jury was shown the sex tape Tuesday. Wednesday, prosecutors began calling witnesses to the stand to identify the alleged victim as the girl in the video. One of her childhood friends, the friend’s father and two relatives all insisted she was Kelly’s victim in the video.

During cross-examination of the childhood friend, the defense attorneys suggested that the male person in the video had been digitally altered to resemble Kelly, reports the Associated Press.

The most heated cross-examination was yet to come though. The alleged victim’s aunt, a veteran Chicago police officer, testified that she and other relatives viewed the tape and discussed it in 2001. A few weeks later, someone anonymously sent the material to the Chicago Sun-Times, which turned it over to authorities.

Defense lawyer Sam Adam Jr. repeatedly asked the aunt why she did not go to the authorities immediately once she identified her niece in the tape. The woman said it had been an extremely difficult decision to make and that she had been torn between her job and concern for her family members.

Adam at one point pounded his fist and said there had been ulterior motives in the family, as a family member allegedly wanted “get back at Mr. Kelly” for a business dispute through an extortion, using the fake video. The aunt said she knew nothing of such a plot.