Diddy's ex-assistant and alleged victim testifies under fake name in rapper's sex trafficking trial
incoming update…
Judge Arun Subramanian has allowed Sean 'Diddy' Combs to wear 'non-prison' clothes for his trial.
The rapper was permitted five button down shirts, up to five pairs of pants, up to five sweaters, up to five pairs of socks, and up to two pairs of shoes without laces.
On the first day of testimony in the case, Diddy wore a khaki sweater over a white shirt with khaki pants.
"That change may seem minor, but it actually matters quite a bit,' criminal defense attorney Duncan Levin explained to Fox News Digital. 'The optics of a defendant's appearance can have a subtle but powerful effect on jurors. If he were forced to wear jail-issued clothing, it could create an unconscious presumption of guilt — even though jurors are instructed not to let that factor in. Allowing him to appear in normal clothing helps level the playing field and reinforces the presumption of innocence.'
'Especially in a case like this, where celebrity, image, and public perception are already playing such an outsized role, letting him look like a free man rather than a prisoner helps ensure the jury is focused on the evidence, not the wardrobe,' the lawyer, who worked on Harvey Weinstein's defense, said.
Entertainment attorney Tre Lovell added: "Perception is very important. Based on the egregious allegations against Diddy, he needs to be presented in the exact opposite. The way he dresses, the way he conducts himself and the way he acts towards court, the participants and the jury is all extremely important. The prosecution is going to paint a very ugly picture of a violent rapist, and the jury needs to see a vision of someone that is kind and professional."
Sean "Diddy" Combs' trial began with jury selection on May 5 and could last up to two months.
During a hearing prior to the trial, the prosecution claimed they expect their case to take six weeks to argue, while Combs' legal team estimated they would need two weeks to complete their defense. However, on Tuesday, the government told the judge they believe their case will take closer to five weeks instead of six.
Combs is accused of running a criminal enterprise through his various businesses. He used "firearms, threats of violence, coercion and verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse" to fulfill his sexual desires, according to the unsealed indictment obtained by Fox News Digital.
According to court documents, Combs would force his victims to participate in what he called 'freak offs.'
"Freak Offs were elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded," authorities stated. The indictment alleges the rapper was known to provide IV fluids to his victims following "freak offs" to recover from physical exertion and drug use.
Diddy has denied the allegations against him.
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