R. Kelly glad 'terrible ordeal' is over

CHICAGO, June 13 (UPI) -- A representative for R. Kelly said the singer is glad his "terrible ordeal" is over now that he has been acquitted in his Chicago child pornography trial.

"Robert has said all along that he believes in our system, and he believes in God. And that when all the facts came out in court, he'd be cleared of these terrible charges," Kelly's spokesman Allan Mayer told the Chicago Tribune after the jury found him not guilty Friday on all 14 counts.

"He did not expect that it would take six and a half years. It's been a terrible ordeal for him and his family, and at this point all he wants to do is move forward and try to put it behind him. He wants to thank his lawyers who defended him so brilliantly. He wants to thank his fans who stuck by him and supported him with such love," Mayer added. "Most of all, he wants to thank God for giving him the strength to get through this. He's going to have more to say about all of this very soon. But for right now, he'd be more inclined to be with his family, collect himself and get strong again."

Kelly had been charged with allegedly videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl some time between 1998 and 2000.