Takeaways from Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura’s testimony

Prosecutors’ star witness, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, took the stand on Tuesday within the hip-hop mogul’s intercourse trafficking trial, accusing the rapper of controlling her life and coercing her into “humiliating” intercourse acts.

Mr Combs has pleaded not responsible to fees together with racketeering conspiracy, intercourse trafficking, and transportation to interact in prostitution.

Household and associates have come to courtroom in giant numbers to help Mr Combs, whose authorized workforce has not but questioned Ms Ventura.

Ms Ventura, who’s pregnant, informed prosecutors 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.

Listed below are a number of the most notable components of her first 5 hours of testimony.

Warning: This story comprises particulars that some readers could discover distressing.

Prosecutors started by questioning Ms Ventura – considered one of their two central witnesses within the case – about her 11-year, on-and-off relationship with Mr Combs.

Now 38 and pregnant in her third trimester together with her third little one, Ms Ventura met Mr Combs when she was a 19-year-old aspiring singer and he was 37. Mr Combs’ file label would later signal Ms Ventura as an artist, and shortly after, their romantic relationship started.

Their relationship progressed over a collection of a number of journeys. On the time, she testified, she felt like they had been in a monogamous relationship, although she is aware of now that he had different girlfriends.

She stated she “fell in love” with the “bigger than life entrepreneur and musician”. Nevertheless it was not lengthy earlier than she observed one other aspect to him, she stated.

Mr Combs needed to “management” her life, Ms Ventura stated. She stated he paid for her residence, her automobiles, her telephone and different expertise that he would generally take away to “punish” her.

“Management was all the things, from the best way that I seemed … to what I used to be engaged on,” Ms Ventura stated.

Ultimately, she claimed, the management turned violent. Mr Combs would “bash on my head, knock me over, drag me and kick me” steadily, Ms Ventura testified, generally via tears.

She alleged that she was left with swollen lips, black eyes and knots on her brow.

Prosecutors spent hours on Tuesday asking Ms Ventura about so-called “freak-offs”.

Ms Ventura informed the courtroom how Mr Combs launched her to the sexual occasions through the first 12 months of their relationship: They’d rent a male escort or stripper to have intercourse with Ms Ventura whereas Mr Combs watched.

Ms Ventura informed the courtroom that she first tried the encounters to make Mr Combs “completely happy”. However she stated they humiliated her, and generally lasted three to 4 days.

“I felt fairly horrible about myself,” she informed the courtroom, wiping away tears. “It made me really feel nugatory.”

Ms Ventura informed the courtroom she by no means needed to have intercourse with anybody however Mr Combs, and claimed she would take myriad medicine – marijuana, ecstasy and ketamine – to assist her carry out to Mr Combs’ satisfaction, but additionally to “disassociate”.

The medicine had been “a solution to not really feel it for what it actually was”, she stated, “having intercourse with a stranger I did not actually wish to be having intercourse with”.

As prosecutors pressed Ms Ventura in regards to the “freak-offs”, she informed the courtroom of how Mr Combs would direct her to search 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 via stripper corporations and websites like Craigslist. A few of their images had 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 can 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 workers.

Amongst different fees, prosecutors are attempting to show that Mr Combs engaged in intercourse trafficking – human trafficking for the aim of sexual exploitation – and transportation to interact in prostitution.

As prosecutors pressed Ms Ventura for graphic particulars, one key factor emerged: Ms Ventura claimed that Mr Combs managed each a part of the encounters.

He selected the outfits she wore – right down to the extraordinarily excessive heels she saved on for hours – in addition to the sexual acts that transpired and the lighting, Ms Ventura informed jurors.

“If Sean needed one thing to occur, that was what was going to occur,” she stated. “I could not say no.”

Generally, Ms Ventura stated, 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 route, she stated.

She stated freak-offs had a really particular “sample” of sexual acts every time.

“He was controlling the entire scenario,” she alleged. “He was directing it.”

At instances, Ms Ventura stated, she tried to inform Mr Combs that she felt “horrible”. However when he dismissed her considerations, she stated, she relented, apprehensive he would get indignant or query their relationship.

Ms Ventura is anticipated to proceed her testimony on Wednesday, when she may additionally face cross-examination.