Singer, R Kelly, has been said to have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to try and buy back child porn videos that allegedly went missing in the early 2000s, a court has heard.

R Kelly and his inner circle splashed out the huge sum in trying to recover the lost recording, according to prosecutors.

In a testimony heard at the trial in Chicago on Monday, an IRS agent went through payments check by check.

The step was taken by the singer to cover up for one of his many sexual atrocities.

The 55-year-old singer, who is currently serving 30 years in prison is on trial in his hometown on charges that the production of child pornography, enticing minor girls for sex, and obstructing justice by successfully rigging his 2008 child pornography trial in state court at which he was acquitted.