Last week, the trial of Sean Diddy Combs in New York City began on May 12 with opening statements.
The rapper was arrested on September 16th and charged with racketeering, sex trafficking by force, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
A number of sexual assault allegations have been made against the 54-year-old since his arrest in several different lawsuits.
Combs has entered a not guilty plea to accusations of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy.
The rapper could spend up to life behind bars if found guilty on all counts.
The first week saw the prosecutions star witness and ex girlfriend of Diddy, Cassie Ventura take the stand, with an emotional testimony.
The star witness for the prosecution spoke about the alleged emotional and physical abuse she suffered at the hands of the rapper during “freak-offs,” or sexual meetings with male escorts that the couple had according to the BBC.
She testified that even though she now knows he had other girlfriends, at the time she assumed they were in a monogamous relationship.
She claimed she “fell in love” with the “larger than life musician” but soon noticed another side to him.
The ex-girlfriend of the hip-hop mogul alleged to the jury how Combs would “frequently” attack her, claiming that he would “bash on my head, knock me over,” according to the BBC.
She claimed to have felt “nervous and confused” about taking part in Combs’ “freak-offs,” but she was also concerned about the consequences of declining.
In her testimony, Cassie described how Combs dominated every element of her life, including her appearance and daily activities.
She told the court that security and assistants would also become involved in an attempt to locate her when she was out of reach.
According to the 38-year-old, Combs also had access to a number of her homes, when he would unexpectedly drop by.
When asked if she had ever left one of Combs’ alleged “freak offs,” Cassie Ventura said that she had, “in Century City,” referring to the 2016 incident at a hotel in Los Angeles when the rapper was seen hitting her on security footage.
“I chose to leave,” Ventura said. “I got out and Sean followed me into the hallway, and grabbed me, shoved me to the ground, kicked me and dragged me back to the room and took my stuff.”
Throughout this week’s trial, Sean Combs’s 2016 attack on his ex-partner Cassie Ventura has been brought up numerous times.
Defense lawyer Teny Geragos admitted during Monday’s opening statements that her client could be “extremely jealous” and that “violence did take place,” but she maintained that those matters have nothing to do with Combs’s allegations of conspiracy, trafficking, and racketeering.
“What Combs did to Cassie on this videotape is indefensible,” Geragos said. “It is not evidence of sex trafficking. It is evidence of domestic violence,” according to The Washington Post.
The defence frequently referred to a series of messages from September 2018, between Cassie Ventura and Sean Combs, a month after the incident where Cassie alleged Combs raped her.
In previous testimony, Ventura said she had consensual sex with Combs once after the rape, explaining: “We’d been together 10 years; you just don’t turn feelings off that way.”
According to The Washington Post, Cassie Ventura stated that since 2018, the year she claimed Sean Combs assaulted her and she last saw him, he has contacted her on several occasions.
Cassie was shown a number of texts Combs sent her in 2019 and 2020, including ones in which he congratulated her on her pregnancy, said he missed her, said he was “sending her love and light,” and claimed to have dreamed about her.
Cassie largely ignored these texts until March 2020, when Combs texted to say he missed his “best friend.” Combs went on: “S— has definitely been rough without your friendship,” to which Cassie thanked him and expressed she missed him to.
She wrote back: “You were there with me throughout everything. You were my ride or die.”
“I wouldn’t be at this beautiful point in my life without you,” Ventura replied. “The thing you said blew my mind a bit.”
“Those were all things I wanted to hear for a long time. Just being recognised,” Cassie told Comb’s attorney when confronted with the messages.
During her last conversation with prosecutor Emily Johnson, Cassie Ventura broke down in tears and reiterated that the beatings and freak-offs had left her feeling “worthless,” like “dirt.”
She informed Combs that although she didn’t want to do them, she was afraid for her safety, her career, and their relationship if she didn’t follow his instructions.
After Cassie completed her testimony and left the witness stand, the prosecution called their next witnesses – special agent Yasin Binda, an investigator in the Department of Homeland Security’s human trafficking group and Dawn Richard – who performed in two bands managed by Sean Combs.
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Since it was announced, Dawn’s testimony was ancipated, given that she had sued Combs and alleged he abused her during her time on his show, Making the Band.
She has also claimed she witnessed his assault against Cassie and others.
She testified that she saw him attack his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2009.
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“He came downstairs screaming, belligerent, asking where his food was and continued to hit her in the head and kick her on the ground in front of us,” Dawn told the jury.
It’s uncertain how much of Dawn Richard’s evidence on Sean Combs’s claimed 2009 attack on Cassie Ventura will be admitted when she returns to court on Monday, due to Cassie not mentioning it in her testimony.
Following a lengthy debate with attorneys, the judge stated he would need to consider the situation.
