BBC Information in New York courtroom
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, has advised the hip-hop mogul’s sex-trafficking trial that he managed her life and coerced her into “humiliating” intercourse acts.
The prosecution’s star witness testified in regards to the alleged bodily and emotional abuse she endured by the hands of the rapper throughout so-called “freak-offs”, or sexual encounters the couple had with male escorts.
Household and pals have come to courtroom in massive numbers to help Mr Combs, whose authorized staff has not but questioned Ms Ventura.
Mr Combs has pleaded not responsible to prices together with racketeering conspiracy, intercourse trafficking, and transportation to interact in prostitution.
Warning: This story accommodates particulars that some readers might discover distressing.
Reuters/Jane RosenbergMs Ventura fell ‘in love’ with Mr Combs
Prosecutors started by questioning Ms Ventura – certainly one of their two central witnesses within the case – about her 11-year, on-and-off relationship with Mr Combs.
Now 38 and pregnant together with her third youngster, she met Mr Combs when she was a 19-year-old aspiring singer and he was 37.
His document label would later signal Ms Ventura as an artist, and shortly afterwards their romantic relationship started.
On the time, she testified, she felt like they have been in a monogamous relationship, although she is aware of now that he had different girlfriends.
She mentioned she “fell in love” with the “larger-than-life entrepreneur and musician”. Nevertheless it was not lengthy earlier than she observed one other aspect to him, she mentioned.
REUTERS/Jane RosenbergMr Combs needed to ‘management’ each a part of her life, Ms Ventura says
Mr Combs needed to “management” her life, Ms Ventura mentioned. She mentioned he paid for her residence, her automobiles, her telephone and different know-how that he would generally take away to “punish” her.
“Management was all the things, from the best way that I appeared… to what I used to be engaged on,” Ms Ventura mentioned.
Finally, she claimed, the management turned violent. Mr Combs would “bash on my head, knock me over, drag me and kick me” often, Ms Ventura testified, generally by tears.
She alleged that she was left with swollen lips, black eyes and knots on her brow.
Ms Ventura felt ‘humiliated’ by ‘freak-offs’
Prosecutors spent hours on Tuesday asking Ms Ventura about so-called “freak-offs”.
Ms Ventura advised the courtroom how Mr Combs launched her to the sexual occasions in the course of the first 12 months of their relationship. They might rent a male escort or stripper to have intercourse with Ms Ventura whereas Mr Combs watched.
Ms Ventura advised the courtroom that she first tried the encounters to make Mr Combs “completely satisfied”. However she mentioned they humiliated her, and generally lasted three to 4 days.
“I felt fairly horrible about myself,” she advised the courtroom, wiping away tears. “It made me really feel nugatory.”
Ms Ventura advised the courtroom she by no means needed to have intercourse with anybody however Mr Combs, and claimed she would take myriad medication – marijuana, ecstasy and ketamine – to assist her carry out to Mr Combs’ satisfaction, but additionally to “disassociate”.
The medication have been “a solution to not really feel it for what it actually was”, she mentioned, “having intercourse with a stranger I did not actually need to be having intercourse with”.
Mr Combs flew male escorts in for freak-offs, courtroom hears
As prosecutors pressed Ms Ventura in regards to the “freak-offs”, she advised the courtroom of how Mr Combs would direct her to seek out male escorts, strippers or dancers to have intercourse with whereas he watched.
She alleged that Mr Combs would pay the boys wherever from $1,500 to $6,000 in money, relying on their efficiency.
They discovered the boys by stripper corporations and websites like Craigslist. A few of their pictures have been exhibited to the jurors, together with Daniel Phillip, who completed his testimony earlier on Tuesday.
Ms Ventura and Mr Combs had the enounters in cities world wide, together with Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas and Ibiza, Spain, Ms Ventura testified.
Generally, males could be flown in throughout holidays, she alleged, and Mr Combs would direct her to ask workers to pay for and prepare their journey, calling them new staff.
Amongst different prices, prosecutors try to show that Mr Combs engaged in intercourse trafficking – human trafficking for the aim of sexual exploitation – and transportation to interact in prostitution.
Mr Combs ‘directed’, Ms Ventura says
As prosecutors pressed Ms Ventura for graphic particulars, one key aspect emerged: Ms Ventura claimed that Mr Combs managed each a part of the encounters.
He selected the outfits she wore – all the way down to the extraordinarily excessive heels she saved on for hours – in addition to the sexual acts that transpired and the lighting, Ms Ventura advised jurors.
“If Sean needed one thing to occur, that was what was going to occur,” she mentioned. “I could not say no.”
Generally, Ms Ventura mentioned, she would take the lead on which male escorts to rent as a result of Mr Combs was “very busy”, however she solely did so at his path, she mentioned.
She mentioned freak-offs had a really particular “sample” of sexual acts every time.
“He was controlling the entire state of affairs,” she alleged. “He was directing it.”
At occasions, Ms Ventura mentioned, she tried to inform Mr Combs that she felt “horrible”. However when he dismissed her issues, she mentioned, she relented, frightened he would get offended or query their relationship.
Ms Ventura is predicted to proceed her testimony on Wednesday, when she may additionally face cross-examination.
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