Topics: Diddy, Sex Trafficking, Crime
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual harassment which some readers may find distressing
Here's everything the prosecution has accused Diddy of in the opening statements including an horrific 'urine' act against his former girlfriend Cassie.
The rapper, real name Sean Combs, was arrested at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York last September, and has been charged with racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion - all of which he has repeatedly denied.
Combs has spent the past months at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center before his trial began on Monday (May 12), with prosecution now having given their opening statements.
Assistant US Attorney and prosecutor Emily Johnson provided the first statement of the trial, referring to the rapper as a 'larger than life' character who 'had another side to him'.
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She said: "To the public, he was Puff Daddy or Diddy, describing him as a 'business icon' and 'larger than life'.
Jurors will be told about '20 years of the defendant's crimes', she went on to tell the court.
Johnson went on to claim that Combs did not act alone and that he had an 'inner circle' of employees who helped him commit crimes and 'cover it up'.
Combs committed 'sex crimes, arson, bribery and obstruction', the prosecutor went on to say, and these crimes were committed 'again and again.'
The details of Diddy's so-called 'freak offs' parties will be discussed at length during the trial, and they were touched on during the opening remarks by prosecutors.
"Some of the details of what happened to them will be hard to hear. He used lies, drugs, threats and violence to force and coerce first Cassie and later Jane to have sex with him in front of male escorts," Johnson said in court. "He directed freak offs week after week, around the country and sometimes out of the country," she added.
Johnson then went on to claim how Cassie had allegedly taken part in one freak-off in particular due to the fact she was in love with him.
The prosecution told jurors: “She knew it was not something she wanted to do.”
One alleged incident saw her client explain how she 'felt like she was choking' after Combs 'made an escort urinate into her mouth'.
Johnson stated Cassie has said that she would be willing to speak to jurors herself about the incident.
Johnson went on to claim that the case 'is not about a celebrity's private sexual preferences'.
The rapper allegedly began abusing Cassie early on in their relationship, and forced her to take part in these 'freak-off' parties according to prosecutors.
"Cassie tried her first freak off because she loved him and wanted to make him happy. If Cassie didn’t do what he wanted, the consequences were severe," Johnson said.
The musician is alleged of threatening to release footage of sexual acts involving Cassie and Johnson alleged that her 'life and safety' depended on the rapper's happiness.
Johnson also claimed in court today that Combs would refer to himself as a 'king', as prosecutors attempt to paint a picture of the rapper's alleged behaviour.
She said: "He called himself the king and expected to be treated like one. He used his companies to manipulate women, forcing them with male escorts to have sex while he watched.
"He and his inner circle made sure he got everything he wanted."
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org
