Featured Image Credit: Getty/Shareif Ziyadat/Getty/Neilson Barnard
Topics: Diddy, Mental Health, Celebrity
Callum Jones
Topics: Diddy, Mental Health, Celebrity
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Diddy's lawyer has provided an update on the rapper's mental health in prison after reports claimed he was placed on suicide watch.
The hip-hop star, whose real name is Sean Combs, was arrested at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York earlier this month.
Diddy has been charged with racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion - allegations he has denied.
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Nonetheless, the 54-year-old has been denied bail for the second time.
His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said in a statement following the arrest: "We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney’s Office.
"Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person but is not criminal."
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Agnifilo has since been interviewed in The Downfall of Diddy: The Indictment, a new TMZ documentary that touches on recent events involving the rapper.
During one clip, the lawyer spoke about Diddy's state of mind, amid recent speculation.
He said: "His state of mind is actually remarkable positive. I spend several hours with him every day... His resolve is strong. He’s engaged.
"He’s focused on his defence... he [has] come to terms with the fact that this is where he is for now."
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Agnifilo also commented on the video footage that saw Combs abusing his then-partner Cassie Ventura at a hotel in 2016.
"It’s hard to watch for anyone," the lawyer admitted.
"That being said, it is not evidence of sex trafficking. There was a certain level of toxicity and drug use in the ten-year relationship between Mr Combs and the woman that he was in love with."
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A lot has come about Diddy in recent weeks, including prosecutors claiming Homeland Security found 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lube in his home.
Officials made the allegations after Diddy's properties in both Los Angeles and Miami were subject to raids by Homeland Security back in March 'as part of an ongoing investigation'.
Agnifilo has since told the New York Post: "I don’t think it was 1,000. I think it was a lot. I mean, there is a Costco right down the street. I think Americans buy in bulk, as we know.
"And you know these are consensual adults doing what consensual adults do, you know, we can’t get so puritanical in this country to think that somehow sex is a bad thing because if it was there would be no more people."
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In the TMZ documentary, Agnifilo confirmed he was working on setting a trial date for Diddy as soon as possible.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.