Key moments from first week of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial

NEW YORK – Testimony successful the sex trafficking trial of hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs began this week, opening a model into what prosecutors accidental was the sordid satellite of radical sex, drugs and unit beneath the glittering, pitchy acceptable persona cultivated by the Bad Boy Records founder.

Much of the grounds was hard to watch. Combs' ex-girlfriend, Cassie, recounted being beaten and pressured into degrading intersexual performances with strangers.

Here are 5 cardinal moments from the trial, which resumes Monday:

Defense: Combs is simply a convulsive jerk and a swinger, but not a enactment trafficker

Lawyer Teny Geragos took a novel approach to defending Combs successful her opening statement.

She conceded the hip-hop impresario has a “bad temper” and is prone to convulsive outbursts that are often fueled by alcohol, jealousy and drugs.

But she maintained that portion his actions mightiness person warranted home unit charges, they aren’t impervious helium engaged successful enactment trafficking and racketeering — the charges helium faces.

Geragos argued that Combs’ intersexual habits were portion of a swinger manner involving consenting adults and reminded jurors that “kinky” intersexual predilections don’t equate to enactment trafficking.

“Sean Combs is simply a analyzable man. But this is not a analyzable case," she said. “This lawsuit is astir love, jealousy, infidelity and money.”

Jurors sees video and photos of infamous LA edifice onslaught connected Cassie

The packed courtroom fell soundless erstwhile jurors were shown information camera video of Combs assaulting Cassie successful a Los Angeles edifice successful 2016.

The video depicts Cassie, an R&B singer, headed down a hallway toward the hotel’s elevators conscionable earlier Combs rounds a corner, strikes her and throws her to the crushed earlier kicking her and past dragging her backmost toward their edifice room.

Jurors besides viewed photographs of harm successful the edifice hallway, including flowers strewn connected the level and ungraded spattered against a wall. Later, arsenic Cassie testified astir the attack, they were shown photos of the musician’s swollen lip.

The trial’s archetypal witnesser was a erstwhile information defender astatine the hotel. Israel Florez testified Combs attempted to bribe him, holding retired a stack of wealth with a $100 connected top, telling him: “Don’t archer nobody.”

Florez said helium responded: “I don’t privation your money. Just spell backmost into your room.”

Cassie describes ‘freak-offs’ successful disturbing detail

The “Me & U” singer, whose ineligible sanction is Casandra Ventura, testified that Combs was into voyeurism and dictated each aspect of enactment events helium dubbed “freak-offs.”

The highly orchestrated affairs, which Combs besides called “wild king nights” oregon “hotel nights," progressive antheral enactment workers, dense cause usage and copious lubrication.

“It was his fantasy,” Cassie said.

Cassie said each “freak-off” progressive astir 10 ample bottles of babe lipid -- heated up.

“It was specified a mess,” she said. “It was like, ‘What are we doing?’”

She said Combs besides asked her to execute degrading and achy enactment acts with antheral enactment workers.

Cassie said yet she was doing “freak-offs” play for a decade, with the last 1 successful 2017 oregon 2018.

“The freak-offs became a job,” Cassie recounted.

She said she felt she couldn't garbage due to the fact that she feared the videos would beryllium made public.

Jurors besides heard from Daniel Phillip, who said helium was a nonrecreational stripper paid to person enactment with Cassie portion Combs gave instructions. He testified that helium erstwhile saw Combs resistance Cassie by her hairsbreadth arsenic she screamed.

Messages betwixt Combs and Cassie amusement a analyzable relationship

Defense lawyers, during their cross introspection of Cassie, sought to formed the instrumentalist arsenic an enthusiastic subordinate successful the enactment marathons.

“I’m ever acceptable to freak off,” she wrote successful 1 2009 connection work successful court.

Later that year, however, Cassie expressed vexation with the authorities of their narration and told Combs she needed thing much from him than sex.

In a 2017 substance message, Cassie told Combs: “I emotion our FOs erstwhile we some privation it,” utilizing the initials of freak-off. On the stand, Cassie explained: “I would accidental loving FOs were conscionable words astatine that point.”

Singer Dawn Richard recalled Combs beating Cassie

The erstwhile formed subordinate connected Combs’ MTV world amusement “Making the Band" testified that she saw Combs physically onslaught Cassie connected aggregate occasions.

During a 2009 incidental successful his home, Richard said Combs tried to onslaught Cassie successful the caput with a achromatic skillet earlier helium enactment his limb astir her cervix and dragged her up the stairs.

“I was frightened for her and frightened to bash anything," she said. “I had ne'er seen thing similar that before.”

Richard, who was aboriginal a subordinate of the Combs' set Diddy — Dirty Money, sued the producer past year, accusing him of carnal abuse, groping, and intelligence maltreatment during the years they worked together. His typical denied the claims astatine the time.

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