Anish Vij
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual harassment and domestic violence which some readers may find distressing
Diddy's ex-girlfriend Cassie has opened up about the hip-hop producer's alleged 'freak off' parties which she claims lasted for days.
Last year, Diddy - whose real name is Sean Combs - was arrested and accused of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution - charges which he vehemently denies.
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His trial officially began on 12 May, which saw the prosecution and defence team give their opening statements, and now, day two has seen key witness Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura take to the stand in New York City on Tuesday (13 May).
The R&B singer who testified that she was with Diddy for over 10 years claims that their arguments would result in 'some sort of physical abuse'.
In court, the jury were shown CCTV footage of Combs allegedly punching, kicking, and dragging Cassie in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
"I take full responsibility for my actions in that video," the music mogul said in a public apology last year after CNN shared the clip.
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They first met in 2005 when Cassie was 19 and Diddy was 37, and started dating a few years later after he signed her to his Bad Boy Records label.
Cassie sued him in 2023 and alleged years of abuse, but the suit was settled one day after it was filed.
The 38-year-old - who is now married to personal trainer Alex Fine and is expecting her third child - claimed Combs 'would mash me in the head, knock me over, drag me, kick me. Stomp me in the head if I was down'.
During her testimony, Cassie spoke about the alleged 'freak offs', which the indictment claims 'were elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded'.
She said: “Within the first year of our relationship, he proposed this idea. This sexual encounter that he called voyeurism where he would watch me be in intercourse with a third party, specifically with another man.”
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Cassie later claimed that there was 'no space to do anything else', adding: "Staying out for days on end, taking drugs and drinking, having sex with a stranger, they would be 36, 48, 72, hours.
"The longest one was four days, even more on and off including recovering, recovering from the drugs, dehydration."
"The 'freak offs' became a job, where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again," she continued.
"I had the contacts to set it up and get a hotel room and all of that, but in the beginning, Sean set it up. He was in charge," the mum-of-two testified.
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"Just the nervousness and confusion… I had just turned 22."
Amongst Diddy's five felony charges are sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy.
The trial is expected to last between eight and 10 weeks.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247, available 24/7, or via live chat, available 10am-10pm, Monday to Friday.
Alternatively, if you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.