
Live updates: Kid Cudi expected to testify in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex-trafficking trial
Combs' former assistant George Kaplan briefly testified yesterday and will return to the witness stand today. Kaplan described the demanding job of being Combs' bag man and cleaning up liquor bottles and baby oil from hotel rooms.
Rapper Kid Cudi was slated to take the stand yesterday, but his appearance has been postponed until today. Cudi is expected to testify about his relationship with Cassie Ventura.
Combs faces five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has vociferously denied the allegations against him.
This live briefing may include graphic descriptions of sexual violence. For resources on sexual assault, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline.
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Sky News
7 hours ago
- Sky News
Police watchdog closes investigations over decision to charge Caroline Flack
The police watchdog has closed its investigations into the circumstances leading up to the decision to charge TV presenter Caroline Flack with assaulting her boyfriend. Flack died in February 2020, with a coroner ruling that she took her own life after discovering she was definitely going to face a trial. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) initially recommended a caution after the alleged assault in December 2019 - but London's Metropolitan Police appealed and the Love Island host was charged with assault by beating. Various reviews into the way the case was handled have been carried out by the CPS, the Met, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) since Flack's death. In April 2024, the star's mother told Sky News she believes her daughter's celebrity status likely contributed towards the decision to charge her. It has now emerged that the IOPC closed its latest investigation, relating to the actions of officers in appealing to the CPS, in January 2025 - finding the outcome was "reasonable and proportionate". An IOPC spokesperson said it received a complaint referral from the Met, which contained "a number of allegations about the force's investigation" into the alleged assault, in March 2024. The majority of the allegations had already been investigated by the force and reviewed by the IOPC, the watchdog said, so it found no further action was required. However, the Met was directed to investigate one aspect of the complaint "on the basis there may be new witness evidence available". This related to the actions of officers in appealing the initial CPS decision, and five allegations were returned to the force's Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) to "resolve in a proportionate manner", the IOPC spokesperson told Sky News. In June 2024, the Met found there was "no new evidence that would alter any previous outcomes", the spokesperson added, and the complainant asked the IOPC to review once again. "Following that review, in January 2025 we found that outcome to be reasonable and proportionate." A Met Police spokesperson said DPS officers made further enquiries and examined the evidence last year. "It did not change the original outcome that the service provided by officers was acceptable," the spokesperson said. "The family were advised of the outcome in June [2024] and then appealed that outcome to the IOPC. The IOPC carried out a review and, in January 2025, found no new evidence that would alter any of the previous outcomes." Both the Met and the IOPC have closed their investigations. The IOPC said another review could be considered in light of any new evidence. At the end of Flack's inquest, coroner Mary Hassell said the alleged assault had "played out in the national press" following her arrest and had a serious impact on her mental health. In April 2024, her mother Christine Flack told Sky News: "This wasn't domestic violence. This was an accident. But she was portrayed in the court and in the newspapers as a domestic abuser, and that's what hurts. That's what I want got rid of - because she wasn't." She said she believed her daughter was treated differently due to her celebrity status. "And that's not on. She shouldn't be treated better, but she shouldn't be treated worse." This was not the first investigation into the handling of Flack's case, with the Met initially referring itself to the watchdog just a few days after her death. The DPS found there was no misconduct, prompting another complaint from Flack's family to the IOPC. In 2023, the IOPC ordered the force to apologise for not recording its reason for appealing against the caution, but said it had not identified any misconduct. In the days after the TV presenter's death, the CPS also reviewed its handling of the case. Flack's boyfriend, Lewis Burton, had said he did not support the prosecution, and following her death her management released a statement criticising the decision. At the time, a CPS spokesperson said it was normal practice for prosecutors to hold a debriefing after complex or sensitive cases have ended. "This has taken place and found that the case was handled appropriately and in line with our published legal guidance," they said. Flack, 40, presented shows including spin-offs I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! NOW! and The Xtra Factor, as well as one season of the main X Factor show with former contestant Olly Murs, before becoming best known as the host of Love Island. She also won Strictly Come Dancing in 2014. Sky News has contacted Flack's family for comment.


Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Vile mommy's boy grovels in court after bodyslamming doctor over his mother's prescription
A Florida man has groveled in court after bodyslamming his mom's doctor over her prescription. Ventura Pérez del Castillo, 20, was arrested last October after he assaulted his mother's doctor, Steven Silvers, 69, at a medical center in Miami Beach. Security footage captured the horrifying attack, which left Silvers unconscious in the hospital hallway. The doctor spoke in court at Castillo's sentencing hearing on Tuesday, telling the judge, 'Your Honor, I still to this day suffer from the physical assault and the mental anguish,' local NBC affiliate WTVJ reported. 'What did I do to deserve this brutal beating except care? I did nothing that could ever excuse or justify this'. Castillo issued an apology to his victim in court, telling his mother's doctor that he was sorry to him and his family for the harm he caused. 'I just hope that with time you can forgive me. Please, I am so sorry,' he added. Castillo has been in custody since his arrest last October and was sentenced to 364 days in jail. He was also ordered to serve two years of house arrest, probation, and mental health treatment. Castillo previously told police that Silvers grabbed his phone and initiated the brawl before pleading guilty. Silver's son testified in court that his father endured gruesome injuries from the attack, including facial trauma, fractures to his collar bones, a concussion, a hematoma on his face, and a brain bleed. Castillo's arrest report stated that he wanted to confront the doctor about prescribing his mother narcotics after a procedure she had in June. His mother, Carolina Perez, previously testified in court that she had trauma from drugs, which her son was aware of. She tearfully admitted that she couldn't be prescribed narcotics. Perez added that she didn't know her son was planning on confronting her doctor at the hospital. The defendant's family declined to speak to reporters outside of the courtroom, but Dr. Silvers said he was relieved the case was ending. The doctor told reporters after the sentencing hearing that he was relieved to be finished with the case Circuit Court Judge Alberto Milian presided over the case, calling the altercation a 'brutal attack on a 69-year-old man. 'For over 35 years, I have had the privilege of bringing joy to new parents and caring for women in our community,' Silvers said in a statement after his attack. 'My commitment extends beyond local boundaries, as I have actively volunteered both here and globally for over 35 years as well.' 'I continue to work because I am passionate about my patients and my profession. This situation, however, has been incredibly difficult for both me and my family.'


Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Married hotel CEO kissed and molested terrified female manager at Justin Timberlake concert, lawsuit alleges
A married hotel CEO in Michigan allegedly groped and kissed a female employee during a company outing to a Justin Timberlake concert. Asad Malik, the CEO of the Amerilodge Group, which owns and manages multiple hotel chains in the Midwest, has been accused of sexual harassment, assault, and battery by his former employee, Stephanie Starling. Starling alleges that while at the concert in February, Malik told her that he wanted a kiss, adding, 'bet it would be a good kiss too. Probably later tonight.' Starling nervously laughed in response to the unwanted attention, but Malik allegedly kept pursuing her. The CEO later came up to her, standing silently, and allegedly told her that he was 'just looking at her lips' and thinking of the kiss, according to the lawsuit. In reaction to the stunning comments, Starling quickly found her supervisor and general manager, pleading with them not to leave her side to avoid being alone with Malik. However, later that night, she found herself seated next to Malik after he squeezed into a booth to be next to her. Malik then 'slid his hand under her right thigh and touched her butt,' according to the lawsuit. Starling was terrified after the encounter and was 'noticeably trembling in fear' while she tried to eat. Starling escaped the situation by excusing herself to go to the bathroom. When the show began and the group went to their seats, Malik allegedly attempted to get Starling to sit next to him. When Starling's general manager sat with her instead, Malik was 'visibly angry with the situation,' the lawsuit states. While in the bathroom during the concert, she called her father in tears, begging him not to call the police. Her general manager and supervisor overheard the phone call and told her they were planning on reporting Malik's behavior. When the group returned to a nearby hotel after the show, Malik allegedly said he needed to talk to her and asked her to get in his vehicle. He then allegedly drove to a dark area and told her it was 'time for that kiss.' Starling rejected the advances, which made Malik agitated, and he pressed her about why she wouldn't kiss him. She demanded to be taken back to the hotel and threatened to walk back to the snow if he didn't drive her. When she returned to work at the Marriott in Bay City, Starling notified HR and was told that a third party would investigate her accusations. Starling met with an attorney virtually to explain what happened, but alleges that the company never followed up about her complaint. While she continued working, she noticed coworkers were gossiping about the investigation. Starling called her supervisor, crying, and soon after noticed that her company email was revoked. She was then instructed to submit an official resignation letter, despite having informed HR that she had no intention of quitting. Not even a month after the concert, she received an email that HR was 'upholding her resignation.' She was later informed that the third-party investigation couldn't substantiate her claims. Starling's attorney, Jack Shulz, told Daily Mail that he sees the comparisons between her story and the viral video of the Astronomer CEO Andrew Byron and his HR chief, Kristin Cabot. 'Although a lot of the focus is the comparison to the deplorable acts of this CEO and that of the Astronomer CEO at the Coldplay, a harder look should be given to the acts of the two human resources departments, which are present themselves as being neutral and having open doors to employees,' he said. 'Here, Starling and others immediately reported the incident, HR acted to protect the company, and she was terminated for speaking up. Both cases demonstrate that HR is in bed with the company---literally and figuratively.' Starling told the Detroit Free Press that she was offered a settlement payment, calling it 'hush money.' 'You're not going to put a price tag on me, she added. 'I do have the balls to speak up — and it's not okay.' The company stated in a filing with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that Malik denied the claims, and no one witnessed the alleged assault.