Sean 'Diddy' Combs avoids life in prison after being found not guilty on racketeering conspiracy charge

The jury has reached a verdict in the high-profile trial of music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs, which has gripped the world for the last two months.

The disgraced rapper, 55, has been found not guilty of the weightiest charge levied against him - racketeering conspiracy - meaning he has dodged a life sentence.

Jurors also ruled that he was not guilty of the sex trafficking of Cassie Ventura or his former girlfriend, Jane.

However, Diddy has been found guilty of the transportation for prostitution of both women. Both of these charges come with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

He was flanked by his eight lawyers as the verdict was read out, while his family were sat on the second row of the gallery.

The bombshell verdict comes after jurors endured an intense eight weeks of listening to harrowing courtroom testimony and viewing a host of graphic evidence.

Diddy was accused of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution after his shock arrest last September, which saw his formerly prosperous empire crumble.

Combs has maintained his innocence throughout the trial and had pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him. He did not take to the stand in his own defence.

Diddy has continuously denied all of the charges against him following his dramatic arrest nine months ago (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Jurors reached a verdict on four of the five counts on Tuesday (1 July), but were initially unable to come to an agreement about whether prosecutors had proved the racketeering conspiracy charge.

The 12 men and women informed Judge Arun Subramanian that they had come to an impasse in regards to the most serious of the charges against Combs, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Prosecutors had alleged that the baby oil-obsessed Bad Boy Records founder used his various businesses as a criminal organisation 'to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct'.

And after being ordered to 'keep deliberating' by the judge, the jury have now determined that Diddy is not guilty of this charge.

The father-of-seven faced up to life behind bars if convicted on all counts.

The verdict brings eight long weeks of chaos in the New York courtroom to a close, although Combs' legal troubles are far from over, given there's also dozens of lawsuits lodged against him - although he denies these allegations, too.

Over the last eight weeks, jurors heard from 34 witnesses about what it was like to be part of Diddy's world.

His former girlfriends, including 'Me & U' hitmaker Cassie Ventura, took to the stand to share their disturbing accounts of alleged abuse, violence and coercion.

The jury initially could not come to an agreement on the racketeering charge (Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)

The 38-year-old bravely testified, while heavily pregnant, about the hundreds of 'freak-offs' she said she was forced to participate in with prostitutes, the physical and mental abuse she endured, how she was 'blackmailed' and what led up to the notorious footage of her being attacked by Diddy at Los Angeles' InterContinental Hotel in 2016.

Another of Combs' former girlfriends, who testified under the pseudonym Jane to protect her identity, also told the court about how she was coerced into taking part in 'hotel nights' to please him.

During these 'debauchery' drenched sex sessions, the rapper would watch her have intercourse with escorts while plying her with various drugs, the court heard.

Jane also told jurors how she was locked into a 'love contract' with Combs, which involved him giving her a $10,000 monthly allowance, paying her rent and a financing her fresh set of veneers - as long as she kept up the 'hotel nights'.

Male escorts involved with both the 'freak offs' and 'hotel nights' - such as 'The Punisher' - also gave evidence during the trial, as did a host of Combs' former employees.

One detailed the gruelling work schedule they were forced to abide by, while Diddy's ex-assistant Capricorn Clark said she was 'kidnapped' at gunpoint by him during a plot to 'kill' rapper Kid Cudi.

Ultimately, the testimony did not convince jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that Diddy was guilty of the heinous crimes he was charged with.