Diddy trial: Woman who says Sean Combs dangled her over balcony continues giving evidence - with key witness to follow

Sky News

2 days ago

Follow this page for updates from the sex-trafficking trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs. A key witness in the trial is expected to give evidence later - after a woman who claims Combs dangled her over a balcony. The rapper denies all the charges.
16:52:01
Defence attempts to show inconsistencies over alleged balcony incident
Questioning turns to the alleged balcony incident - Bryana Bongolan previously told the court she was hung over the edge of a 17th floor balcony by Sean "Diddy" Combs in 2016.
Defence lawyer Nicole Westmoreland is attempting to show inconsistencies between statements in court and statements to investigators beforehand, as well as a lawsuit she filed against Diddy in 2024.
Bongolan maintains in court again now that Combs held her over the balcony and then threw her into furniture.
Asked if she told government investigators that the incident was witnessed by Cassie, she says she doesn't recall.
She tells the court again that she hurt her leg, neck and back in the incident, and suffered night terrors and nightmares afterwards.
16:37:34
Witness questioned on friendship with Cassie after alleged Diddy threat
First up is a picture of witness Bryana Bongolan and Cassie Ventura taken at a photo shoot in Malibu in April 2016.
Bongolan says she was threatened by Sean "Diddy" Combs during this trip.
Defence lawyer Nicole Westmoreland then asks about two photos she sent to Cassie in text messages on separate occasions in the following weeks.
They both show drugs, although Bongolan does not know what kind of drugs.
She says that yes, she continued her friendship with Cassie despite the alleged threats by Diddy.
"You're telling us Sean Combs threatened your life a few weeks before the post?" Westmoreland asks.
"Yes, ma'am," Bongolan replies.
"Continuing on dealing with Cassie, weren't you scared to do that?"
"I guess not."
16:23:04
Day 17 - court is in session
Witness Bryana Bongolan is coming back to the stand and jurors are returning to the courtroom.
Bongolan, a friend of Cassie Ventura's, will be cross-examined by defence lawyer Nicole Westmoreland.
16:06:30
Media complains over access to 'Jane' exhibits
There is some legal discussion taking place before the jury is called back in today.
It follows a request from media organisations protesting a decision by Judge Arun Subramanian on access to exhibits related to Jane's testimony.
"The news organisations recognise that this trial involves serious privacy considerations that may justify limiting access to graphic sexual content and witness-identifying information in particularised cases," a letter submitted to the court earlier this week said.
However, it went on to add that it "is nearly impossible for even the most sophisticated reporters to understand and accurately report on these criminal proceedings without seeing the documentary exhibits as they are being discussed".
The judge says text messages will be read aloud in court.
15:34:17
Diddy trial: Day 17 - what to expect
Bryana Bongolan, who alleges she was dangled over the edge of a 17th-floor apartment balcony by Sean Combs in 2016, will return to the stand to finish her testimony today.
Afterwards, a former girlfriend of Diddy's - who is using the pseudonym "Jane" - is expected to begin what lawyers have said will be several days of testimony.
Jane was allegedly engaged in commercial sex acts "as a result of force, fraud or coercion" by the hip-hop mogul.
"The defendant 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," prosecutors said in their opening statement at the beginning of the trial.
"The defendant insisted that the sex occur in a very specific, highly orchestrated way. These sexual performances lasted multiple days and they involved multiple escorts."
Like the testimony of Combs's former long-term partner Cassie, Jane's evidence will be crucial to this case.
15:17:32
A reminder of the charges
Here's a reminder of the five felony charges faced by Sean "Diddy" Combs:
Racketeering conspiracy;
Two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion;
Two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
The rapper was initially charged with three offences - racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Two extra counts - one each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution - were added earlier in April.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
What the charges mean
Racketeering broadly means engaging in an illegal scheme or enterprise, and the charge falls under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act (RICO) in the US.
According to the US justice department's definition of RICO statute, it is also illegal to "conspire to violate" the laws.
The prosecution alleges that between 2008 and 2024, Combs "led a racketeering conspiracy that engaged in sex trafficking, forced labour, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice, among other crimes".
He faces between 15 years and life in prison if found guilty.
11:28:17
Diddy trial: Witness says 'devil' Combs dangled her from balcony and threw knife at Cassie, court hears
We are back with our coverage of the trial of hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Proceedings at the federal court in Manhattan are starting a little later today, at about 4pm UK time, so we'll be bringing you all the latest with rolling updates later today.
For now, here's a recap of the latest developments in the trial...
Yesterday, the court heard from a friend of Cassie Ventura, Bryana Bongolan, who alleges Diddy dangled her over the edge of a 17th-floor apartment balcony in 2016.
She will be back on the stand later today to finish her testimony before the next witness is called.
Bongolan told the court yesterday that the mental effects of the alleged assault by Diddy left her with night terrors, and that there were times when she would scream in her sleep.
She also said she witnessed the rapper throwing a knife at Cassie during a violent outburst at her apartment on another occasion. Cassie picked up the knife and hurled it back at him, and both their throws missed, Bongolan said.
In another alleged incident, she said Diddy told her: "I am the devil and I can kill you."
Combs has pleaded not guilty to 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.
Another alleged victim, who is using the pseudonym "Jane", is expected to take the stand either today or tomorrow. She dated Diddy and claims that, like Cassie, she was coerced into "freak off" sex sessions.
We'll be back with live updates later this afternoon.
17:00:58
Live coverage of the Diddy trial this week
After three weeks of dedicated reporting on the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial - covering key witnesses including Cassie Ventura and "Mia", another alleged victim, as well rapper Kid Cudi and former employees of the hip-hop mogul - we have paused our coverage this week as other news events have dominated.
Mia, a former assistant to Combs who is using a pseudonym and not being identified, finished her evidence on Monday after three days on the witness stand.
In their cross-examination, the defence repeatedly asked her why she stayed working for Combs despite the alleged assaults she says she endured."Because when he was happy, I was safe," she told the court.
Sylvia Oken, area director of sales and marketing at the Beverly Hills Hotel, also took the stand.
Today, the court is hearing from Eddy Garcia, who worked at another Los Angeles hotel, where Combs was filmed on CCTV allegedly attacking Cassie, his then girlfriend, in March 2016.
Here's a reminder of the charges Combs faces - which he has strenuously denied.
One count of racketeering conspiracy
Two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion
Two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution
We will resume our live coverage when the next alleged victim - Jane, a former girlfriend of Combs's who is also using a pseudonym - begins her testimony, which is expected later this week.
21:13:42
What you need to know after day 13 of Diddy's trial - scroll down to catch up
That's all for our live coverage today.
Earlier, Sean "Diddy" Combs's former assistant continued testifying under the pseudonym "Mia" before his defence started cross-examination.
If you're just checking in, here's a recap of what we heard today:
Mia said she was "put in the middle" after Cassie found out that Diddy was "cheating" on her when she saw a video showing Combs with another woman;
Jurors were shown text messages between Mia and Diddy's former chief of staff, with Mia explaining her "night terrors" about the rapper and saying he threatened to kill her;
In a WhatsApp exchange between Diddy and Mia, he threatened to "tell everything" and said "let's go to war" if Mia didn't respond to his messages;
Mia recalled a trip to the Caribbean island St Barts on New Year's Eve in 2010, describing a moment when she was told to count the money in Diddy's safe on a yacht. She said he became "really angry" and accused her of counting too slowly;
Diddy's former assistant also told jurors she hasn't been able to return to work because she suffers from "severe, complex PTSD";
As cross-examination began, Diddy's defence attorney quizzed Mia on a range of social media posts which featured the rapper and often included glowing captions;
Mia defended the posts by describing the situation as "very confusing" and saying "I didn't want my family and friends to know the misery I was in";
Diddy's defence attorney asked Mia to read the captions to some of her posts out loud to jurors, which included phrases like "we f****** love you" and one that described him as a "legend";
Mia was also presented in court with a scrapbook she made for Combs's 45th birthday, containing a note which said "I love you forever". Mia told jurors she was afraid Combs would kill her and said that making the scrapbook was "a lot more complicated on all levels".
The trial will resume on Monday as Mia's cross-examination continues. We'll see you back here then.