Warning: This article contains allegations of sexual harassment, and domestic violence which some readers may find distressing.
As the trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs continues in New York, some of the texts sent by the rapper's ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura have been shared with the court.
Ms Ventura is one of the key witnesses in the trial, which sees the US rapper accused of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution, which could land him with a potential life sentence should he be found guilty of all charges.
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The court and the jury have already heard harrowing accounts of Mr Combs' alleged behaviour towards his former partner, which includes details on how she would regularly book male and female escorts to have sex with in front of her boyfriend.
These infamous 'freak off' parties would sometimes go on for days, but Combs' lawyers make the argument that they were all consensual, and now, some of the messages that Ms Ventura sent to the rapper have been revealed.
Some of the texts seem to express an enthusiasm for the parties, which is perhaps expected given that she has previously told the court that she loved Mr Combs and wanted to please him. But she had also told the court that she 'hated' doing the 'freak offs'.
One of the text exchanges, dated from August 2009, saw Combs ask her when she wanted to have the next episode, and she replied “I’m always ready to freak off.”
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Two days later, Cassie sent an explicit message and he replied in eager anticipation.
She responded: “Me Too, I just want it to be uncontrollable.”
This led Ms Ventura, who appeared in front of the jury heavily pregnant with her third child, to complain that a lot of the context was skipped over when the messages were read to jurors, after they were presented as evidence by Mr Combs' defence lawyers.
Messages were also shown on screens to the jurors, which prompted differing reactions, with one woman in the jury shaking her head at a particularly explicit message.
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As part of the trial, Ms Ventura also revealed the amount Mr Combs paid her after she filed a rape, violent abuse and sex trafficking lawsuit against him in 2023, but despite this, and the hotel room footage which showed the 38-year-old dragged across the floor, Diddy's lawyers suggest that all of the 'freak offs' were agreed to by the people involved.
A number of other celebrities have spoken out about their relationship with Diddy after the initial allegations were made, but the jurors will have to decide whether or not the rapper is guilty based solely on the evidence that is handed to them in the federal court in New York.
The trial continues.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.
Topics: Cassie Ventura, Celebrity News, Diddy, US News
James Moorhouse