R Kelly team begins defence

R Kelly's lawyers have opened their defence case in the singer's child pornography trial.

It began like a mirror image of the prosecution's case.

Taking the stand were several relatives of the teenage girl said to appear in the sex tape at the centre of the trial.

Each was asked if they had seen the now notorious video and whether they recognised its participants.

All had, but none could see the resemblance.

"Not even close," said 27-year-old Shonna Edwards, who once performed in a musical group with the youngster.

A week earlier, prosecutors had brought their own group of family members to the stand.

Family rift

Almost all agreed the film, believed to have been made around 1998, showed their relative and R Kelly.

They identified the girl as being between 13 and 14 years old at the time.

Asked about the difference of opinion within their wider family, another witness admitted that the trial had caused a rift.

Leroy Edwards Jr, 46, said the fact that some relatives had co-operated with the authorities after seeing the tape caused problems.

Establishing identity is central to prosecution's case as both the girl and R Kelly deny they are the people seen in the film.

Also under scrutiny is the origin of the video tape.

On Wednesday a journalist from the Chicago Sun Times who first alerted police to its existence was excused from giving evidence.

Fifth Amendment

Jim DeRogatis had previously claimed to have received the tape anonymously in early 2002.

However he refused to answer questions in court, on the grounds that he could incriminate himself over the handling of child pornography.

Judge Vincent Gaughan agreed that such answers may have violated his rights under the Fifth Amendment.

The US Bill of Rights allows witnesses to withhold testimony if it could be used to bring charges against them.

However Mr DeRogatis was ordered to produce his notes from the time for the judge to inspect.

Mr Kelly is charged with 14 counts relating to child pornography in connection with a 26-minute video. He denies the charges.

If convicted, the 41-year-old singer could face up to 15 years in prison.