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 have interaction in prostitution.

Household and mates have come to court docket in giant numbers to assist Mr Combs, whose authorized workforce has not but questioned Ms Ventura.

Ms Ventura, who’s pregnant, advised 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 here are among the most notable elements of her first 5 hours of testimony.

Warning: This story accommodates particulars that some readers might discover distressing.

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 in her third trimester along with her third baby, 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 sequence 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 mentioned she “fell in love” with the “bigger than life entrepreneur and musician”. Nevertheless it was not lengthy earlier than she seen one other aspect to him, she mentioned.

Mr Combs wished to “management” her life, Ms Ventura mentioned. She mentioned he paid for her dwelling, her automobiles, her telephone and different know-how that he would typically take away to “punish” her.

“Management was every little thing, from the way in which that I regarded … to what I used to be engaged on,” Ms Ventura mentioned.

Ultimately, she claimed, the management turned violent. Mr Combs would “bash on my head, knock me over, drag me and kick me” ceaselessly, Ms Ventura testified, typically 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 advised the court docket 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 advised the court docket that she first tried the encounters to make Mr Combs “completely satisfied”. However she mentioned they humiliated her, and typically lasted three to 4 days.

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

Ms Ventura advised the court docket she by no means wished 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 approach to not really feel it for what it actually was”, she mentioned, “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 advised the court docket 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 firms and websites like Craigslist. A few of their photographs 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 all over the world, together with Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas and Ibiza, Spain, Ms Ventura testified.

Typically, 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 staff.

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 have interaction in prostitution.

As prosecutors pressed Ms Ventura for graphic particulars, one key component 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 stored on for hours – in addition to the sexual acts that transpired and the lighting, Ms Ventura advised jurors.

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

Typically, 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 instances, Ms Ventura mentioned, she tried to inform Mr Combs that she felt “horrible”. However when he dismissed her considerations, she mentioned, she relented, fearful 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.