Content Warning: This article discusses sexual assault, and rape. If you or someone you know are affected by the following story, you are not alone. To speak to someone, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

R. Kelly could potentially be facing criminal charges of sexual misconduct, according to a new report that claims a grand jury has been assembled to hear evidence to that effect.

Over the last few months, the world has been waking up to the allegations of sexual abuse brought against R. Kelly. While many of these allegations had been well-known for some time, their increased visibility is due in part to the Lifetime documentary, Surviving R. Kelly.

The documentary provided an in-depth look at the accusations made against the controversial artist, including such claims that he has had sex with underage girls, has physically abused numerous women, and even ran a “sex cult” from his Chicago home.

It also featured interviews with a number of people who had worked with R. Kelly, including Chance The Rapper, who explained that their 2015 collaboration was “a mistake”.

While US law officials reportedly raided the premises of Kelly’s West Side Chicago studio in search of the women he’d allegedly abused over the years, the artist has been carrying on as usual, threatening an Aussie tour, and even upgrading venues for his German concerts.

Check out R. Kelly’s since-deleted tour announcement:

However, as The Blast reports, it seems that the artist could be facing criminal charges very shortly, with a grand jury being assembled to hear evidence.

According to sources close to the case, the grand jury was assembled in secret late last week after a tape surfaced that allegedly shows R. Kelly engaging in sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl.

Celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti, who is representing a man described by CNN as a “whistleblower against Kelly”, reportedly handed in the tape to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago over a week ago.

Avenatti also Tweeted out a description of the tape in question, noting that it is different to the tape at the centre of Kelly’s 2002 child pornography case, for which he was ultimately acquitted in 2008.

“My client knows the identity of the girl and R. Kelly,” Avenatti explained. “He identified the two of them on the videotape. He worked for and has known R. Kelly for decades and he met the girl on a number of occasions.”

As TMZ notes, alleged victims of R. Kelly were apparently flown out to Chicago recently to view the 45-minute tape in hopes of identifying details of the video, including the girl at the centre of it all.

While the grand jury that has been reportedly assembled are apparently in the process of viewing the evidence in order to see if there is enough for prosecutors to charge R. Kelly, the rapper’s legal team disputes that such an event is taking place.

In a statement given to TMZ, Kelly’s lawyer Steven Greenberg stated that he is “unaware of any ‘special’ grand jury being convened to look into R. Kelly. There is no record of any such proceedings, and no need for them. The report is false.”

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