‘I wasn't even in my own body': Sean ‘Diddy' Combs's ex faces defence grilling in sex trial
NEW YORK, June 10 — Sean Combs's defence lawyers on Tuesday will question a woman who dated the music mogul up until his arrest, and who has testified in agonising detail that he pressured her into drug-fuelled sex with escorts.
After three days on the stand the woman speaking under the pseudonym Jane will face intense scrutiny from defence lawyers who have insisted that what prosecutors deem sex trafficking was in fact consensual.
Jane told jurors how the final year of her relationship with the artist known as 'Diddy' exploded into violence in June 2024.
At the time Combs was already under investigation by federal authorities; his homes had been raided, and the now-infamous security footage of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura in a hotel was public.
Throughout her testimony Jane, who began seeing Combs in early 2021, detailed how she had longed for a more traditional romantic relationship with him.
But she said 90 per cent of their time together resulted in sometimes days-long sex parties that saw Combs direct her to have sex with male escorts while he watched, even as she told him the encounters made her feel 'sleazy' and 'disgusted.'
The June 2024 date at home was meant to be a chill night in, she said, but she and Combs got into a fight over his relationship with another woman.
The argument escalated when Jane said she pushed Combs's head onto a marble countertop and began hurling candles.
'I was angry with him,' Jane said. 'It was a built-up mix of everything... I just kept saying that I hated him.'
Combs was livid: Jane told jurors he kicked down doors and ultimately put her in a chokehold.
She managed to run out of the house barefoot but upon returning hours later he was still there. He kicked and punched her until she had a black eye and 'golf-ball' sized welts, she said.
Combs instructed her to ice the injuries and 'put an outfit on.'
Jane told jurors that she put on the requisite heels and lingerie for a so-called 'hotel night' with Combs and a man he had invited.
Through tears Jane said Combs gave her ecstasy and demanded she have sex with the man, and when she protested he said 'you're not going to ruin my f**king night.'
When she said again she didn't want to participate, he stood closely to her face as he asked in a 'forceful' tone: 'Then is this coercion?'
Jane ultimately complied, and gave the escort oral sex: 'I just felt like I wasn't even in my own body,' she said.
Jane told jurors Combs paid for her rent at the time and still does. He also continues to fund her legal costs.
'Sexual trauma'
When Ventura — who last month testified of physical and psychological abuse in similarily excruciating detail — filed her 2023 civil lawsuit that opened the door for a federal investigation, Jane said she 'almost fainted.'
'There was a whole other woman feeling the same thing,' Jane said.
'I feel like I'm reading my own sexual trauma. It makes me sick how three solid pages, word for word, is exactly my experiences and my anguish,' she messaged Combs, in text records read in court.
After weeks of back-and-forth, Jane said Combs called her a 'con artist,' and threatened to show sexually explicit videos to the father of her child.
She had previously testified at length that she felt 'obligated' to participate in hotel nights for 'fear of losing the roof over my head' that Combs was bankrolling.
Jane said that following their physical fight in the summer of 2024, they saw each other twice more before his arrest last September.
The 55-year-old faces life in prison if convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking.
Jane's story was not in the original indictment against Combs, but she was added after receiving a subpoena requiring she testify in November 2024 before a grand jury.
She began speaking to prosecutors in January of this year.
Jane testified that she told Combs's defence team about the brawl last summer before she told prosecutors.
She said she felt 'obligated' to meet the defence team 'due to my relationship.'
Jane has not filed any civil suit against Combs, and said in court Monday she has no plans to.
'I just pray for his continued healing,' she told jurors, 'and I pray for peace for him.'
The Manhattan federal trial is expected to last several more weeks. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson dies at age 82
Brian Wilson formed the Beach Boys with brothers Dennis and Carl, cousin Mike Love, and his neighbour Al Jardine. (Reuters pic) NEW YORK : Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys co-founder who masterminded the group's wild popularity and soundtracked the California dream, has died, his family announced Wednesday. He was 82. The statement on Instagram did not give a cause. Wilson was placed under a legal conservatorship last year due to a 'major neurocognitive disorder.' 'We are at a loss for words right now,' said his family. 'We realise that we are sharing our grief with the world.' The pop visionary crafted hits whose success rivaled The Beatles throughout the 1960s, a seemingly inexhaustible string of feel-good tracks including 'Surfin' USA,' 'I Get Around,' 'Fun, Fun, Fun' and 'Surfer Girl' that made the Beach Boys into America's biggest selling band. Wilson didn't surf but his prodigious pen and genius ear allowed him to fashion the boundary-pushing soundscape of beachside paradise. His lush productions were revered among his peers, with even Bob Dylan once telling Newsweek: 'That ear – I mean, Jesus, he's got to will that to the Smithsonian!' But after five years of extraordinary songwriting, in which he produced 200 odes to sun, surfing and suntanned girls, Wilson sank into a deep, drug-fuelled depression for decades. He would emerge 35 years later to complete the Beach Boys' unfinished album, 'Smile' – widely regarded as his masterpiece. 'Surfin' USA' John Lennon said he considered 'Pet Sounds' (1966) to be one of the best albums of all time, while Paul McCartney said Wilson was a 'genius' – who reduced him to tears with one song from the album, 'God Only Knows,' which Wilson wrote in 45 minutes. Its melancholic depths hinted at Wilson's own painful secret. Born on June 20, 1942 in a Los Angeles suburb, Wilson found music as a haven of safety and joy after an upbringing in which he suffered abuse from his domineering father, who would go on to manage the group. Music was his protection, and The Beach Boys was a family affair: he formed the band with his two brothers Dennis and Carl, his cousin Mike Love and neighbour Al Jardine. Wilson did all the songwriting, arranging and sang and played bass guitar; his bandmates just had to sing in harmony. Their first song 'Surfin,' in 1961, was a loose prototype for the unique sound that would become their signature, a fusion of the rock styles of Chuck Berry and Little Richard with the preppy vocal harmonies of 'The Four Freshmen.' By late 1962, there was hardly a teen who did not know them thanks to the eternal ode to youthful nonchalance, 'Surfin' USA.' Lost youth But Wilson was ill at ease on stage and did not like recording studios. In 1964 he had a panic attack on a plane to France, after which he stopped touring. He was deaf in his right ear and his mouth sagged when he sang – the result of the many beatings he received from his father. 'It was tough. My dad was quite the slave driver,' Wilson told Rolling Stone magazine in 2018. 'He made us mow the lawn and when we were done, he'd say, 'Mow it again.' The Beach Boys' early songs spoke of simple joys and innocence. But Wilson's writing became darker as he began to eulogise lost youth. He channeled the group towards the more psychedelic rock central to the hippie culture taking hold in California. In 1966 he brought out 'Good Vibrations,' a song recorded in four different studios that consumed over 90 hours of tape and included multiple keys, textures, moods and instrumentations. The single topped the charts and sold one million copies in the US, but Wilson was at the brink. In 1967, his mental health deteriorated, worn down by his enormous workload and his wild consumption of drugs. He abandoned 'Smile,' planted his grand piano in a sandbox, and took vast quantities of LSD and acid. Eventually diagnosed as schizophrenic, Wilson began hearing voices and thought the famed 'Wall of Sound' producer Phil Spector was spying on him and stealing his work. The group eventually parted ways. 'Gentlest revolutionary' The troubled artist had long stints of rehab and relapses as well as legal issues including a lengthy, eyebrow-raising relationship with a controlling psychotherapist who was eventually blocked by a court order from contact with Wilson. The artist credits his marriage to former model Melinda Ledbetter as helping him to rebuild his life. He revived and finished 'Smile,' releasing it in 2004. His brother Dennis drowned in 1983, while Carl died of cancer in 1998. Last year Wilson's family successfully pursued a legal conservatorship following the death of Melinda, with his longtime manager and publicist being put in charge of his affairs. Wilson's seven children were consulted by the conservators regarding major health decisions as a stipulation of the agreement. The musician's many accolades included a Kennedy Center Honor in 2007, when that committee dubbed him 'rock and roll's gentlest revolutionary.' 'There is real humanity in his body of work,' they said, 'vulnerable and sincere, authentic and unmistakably American.'
Malay Mail
10 hours ago
- Malay Mail
What are the ‘less lethal' weapons law enforcement is using to control LA protests?
WASHINGTON, June 11 — Law enforcement officials in Los Angeles began deploying 'less lethal' munitions on Sunday as they clashed with crowds protesting federal immigration raids. 'Less lethal' or 'less-than-lethal' weapons are designed to cause pain and discomfort, normally to disperse hostile crowds, but have caused serious injury and death in the past. Here is a list of the less lethal weapons that have been deployed in Los Angeles in recent days, according to Reuters witnesses, the Los Angeles Police Department, and a police expert who has been monitoring the protests. Sponge rounds Media outlets, and a reporter hit in the leg by a projectile on Sunday, have said LAPD officers have been firing rubber bullets, a metal casing covered in rubber. In fact, the LAPD do not use rubber bullets, the department told Reuters. Instead, the LAPD uses foam rounds, a condensed sponge projectile. They resemble a hard Nerf ball, said Spencer Fomby, a retired police captain and less lethal weapons instructor. One version, which has a plastic body with a hard foam nose, is fired from a 40mm launcher and usually aimed directly at a target. A second version, fired from a 37mm launcher, disperses five foam baton rounds toward the ground in front of a hostile crowd once an unlawful assembly has been declared, before bouncing up into the crowd. It is not to be fired directly at individuals, the LAPD said. Both are designed to cause pain on impact without penetrating the skin. Police are forbidden from aiming sponge rounds at the head, neck, groin, and spine. A law enforcement officer carries sponge rounds. — Reuters pic Bean bag rounds Bean bag rounds are normally 37mm cloth bags filled with 1.4 oz of lead or rubber pellets. They are fired from shotguns and spread out as they fly toward the intended target. They are designed not to penetrate the skin but to cause an impact hard enough to render a target temporarily immobile. Flash bangs Flash bangs, otherwise known as 'distraction devices' or 'noise flash diversionary devices,' produce an ear-piercing bang and bright light to disorient targets by temporarily disrupting their sight and hearing. They are often used to target protesters who have become violent in a section of a crowd, Fomby said, and also to allow police to enter a section of a crowd to extract offenders. One type of flash bang device that has been used in Los Angeles is the 40mm aerial flash bang. These are launched into the air and ignite above the heads of protesters. A member of law enforcement fires non-lethal munitions during a rally. — Reuters pic Tear gas Tear gas, one of the most common riot control tools, is designed to temporarily incapacitate people by causing excessive irritation to the eyes, nose, lungs, and skin. It can cause temporary blindness, streaming eyes and nose, coughing, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing. Tear gas canisters usually contain CS gas, a chemical compound, or OC gas, which stands for oleoresin capsicum, the active ingredient in pepper spray. Pepper spray Pepper spray, which has similar impacts as tear gas, is sprayed from a handheld canister and is often used when police come into close quarters with rioters or are engaged in hand-to-hand encounters. It mainly irritates the eyes, causing temporary blindness. Pepper balls Pepper balls mirror the effects of pepper spray, but are delivered in a projectile similar to a paintball. On impact, it bursts open, releasing powdered OC into the air. Police often do not fire pepper balls directly at a person, but at street signs, onto buildings or into the ground to cause them to burst open. A Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy holds a non-lethal weapon during a standoff by protesters and law enforcement. — Reuters pic Baton Known as the oldest less lethal weapon, the baton has been used for crowd control for decades. Police officers have been using batons to push and strike protesters in recent days. — Reuters
Free Malaysia Today
17 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Nighttime curfew in LA as Trump vows to ‘liberate' city
LAPD officers lined the street as curfew went into effect after days of protests in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles. (AFP pic) LOS ANGELES : A nighttime curfew was declared in Los Angeles on Tuesday as local officials sought to get a handle on protests that Donald Trump claimed were an invasion by a 'foreign enemy.' Looting and vandalism has scarred the heart of America's second biggest city as largely peaceful protests over immigration arrests turned ugly after dark. 'I have declared a local emergency and issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting,' Mayor Karen Bass told reporters. One square mile (2.5 square kilometers) of the city's more-than-500 square mile area will be off-limits between 8pm and 6am for everyone apart from residents, journalists and emergency services, she added. One protester told AFP the arrest of migrants in a city with large foreign-born and Latino populations was the root of the unrest. 'I think that obviously they're doing it for safety,' she said of the curfew. 'But I don't think that part of the problem is the peaceful protests. It's whatever else is happening on the other side that is inciting violence.' Small-scale and largely peaceful protests – marred by eye-catching acts of violence – began Friday in Los Angeles as anger swelled over ramped up arrests by immigration authorities. At their largest, a few thousand people have taken to the streets, but smaller mobs have used the cover of darkness to set fires, daub graffiti and smash windows. Overnight Monday 23 businesses were looted, police said, adding that more than 500 people had been arrested over recent days. Protests have also sprung up in cities around the country, including New York, Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco. 'Provide protection' Trump has ordered 4,000 national guard troops to Los Angeles, along with 700 active-duty marines, in what he has claimed is a necessary escalation to take back control – despite the insistence of local law enforcement that they could handle matters. A military spokeswoman said the soldiers were expected to be on the streets later Tuesday or some time on Wednesday. Their mission will be to guard federal facilities and to accompany 'federal officers in immigration enforcement operations in order to provide protection.' The Pentagon said the deployment would cost taxpayers US$134 million. Photographs issued by the Marine Corps showed men in combat fatigues using riot shields to practice crowd control techniques at the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach. 'Behaving like a tyrant' Two dozen miles (40 kilometers) north, the sprawling city of Los Angeles spent the day much as it usually does: tourists thronged Hollywood Boulevard, tens of thousands of children went to school and commuter traffic choked the streets. But at a military base in North Carolina, Trump was painting a much darker picture. 'What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country,' he told troops at Fort Bragg. 'This anarchy will not stand. We will not allow federal agents to be attacked, and we will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy.' California governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who has clashed with the president before, said Trump's shock militarisation of the city was the behavior of 'a tyrant, not a president.' 'Sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy,' he said. In a filing to the US district court in Northern California, Newsom asked for an injunction preventing the use of troops as any kind of policing force, and demanding they be confined to guarding federal buildings. District Judge Charles Breyer scheduled a hearing on the motion — which charges Trump and defense secretary Pete Hegseth have violated the US Constitution — for Thursday. 'Incredibly rare' Trump's use of the military is an 'incredibly rare' move for a US president, Rachel VanLandingham, a professor at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and a former US Air Force lieutenant colonel, told AFP. US law largely prevents the use of the military as a policing force – absent the declaration of an insurrection, which Trump again mused about on Tuesday. Trump 'is trying to use emergency declarations to justify bringing in first the national guard and then mobilising marines,' said law professor Frank Bowman of the University of Missouri.
