Tearful Casandra Ventura tells courtroom Diddy beat and humiliated her

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, has informed the hip-hop mogul’s sex-trafficking trial that he managed her life and coerced her into “humiliating” intercourse acts.

The prosecution’s star witness testified concerning the alleged bodily and emotional abuse she endured by the hands of the rapper throughout so-called “freak-offs”, or sexual encounters the couple had with male escorts.

Household and mates have come to courtroom in massive numbers to help Mr Combs, whose authorized workforce has not but questioned Ms Ventura.

Mr Combs has pleaded not responsible to prices together with racketeering conspiracy, intercourse trafficking, and transportation to have interaction in prostitution.

Warning: This story accommodates particulars that some readers might discover distressing.

Prosecutors started by questioning Ms Ventura – one in every of their two central witnesses within the case – about her 11-year, on-and-off relationship with Mr Combs.

Now 38 and pregnant along with her third baby, she met Mr Combs when she was a 19-year-old aspiring singer and he was 37.

His file label would later signal Ms Ventura as an artist, and shortly afterwards their romantic relationship started.

On the time, she testified, she felt like they had been in a monogamous relationship, although she is aware of now that he had different girlfriends.

She stated she “fell in love” with the “larger-than-life entrepreneur and musician”. But it surely was not lengthy earlier than she seen one other facet to him, she stated.

Mr Combs wished to “management” her life, Ms Ventura stated. She stated he paid for her house, her automobiles, her telephone and different expertise that he would typically take away to “punish” her.

“Management was all the pieces, from the way in which that I appeared… to what I used to be engaged on,” Ms Ventura stated.

Finally, she claimed, the management turned violent. Mr Combs would “bash on my head, knock me over, drag me and kick me” ceaselessly, Ms Ventura testified, typically by tears.

She alleged that she was left with swollen lips, black eyes and knots on her brow.

Prosecutors spent hours on Tuesday asking Ms Ventura about so-called “freak-offs”.

Ms Ventura informed the courtroom how Mr Combs launched her to the sexual occasions through the first 12 months of their relationship. They might rent a male escort or stripper to have intercourse with Ms Ventura whereas Mr Combs watched.

Ms Ventura informed the courtroom that she first tried the encounters to make Mr Combs “glad”. However she stated they humiliated her, and typically lasted three to 4 days.

“I felt fairly horrible about myself,” she informed the courtroom, wiping away tears. “It made me really feel nugatory.”

Ms Ventura informed the courtroom she by no means wished to have intercourse with anybody however Mr Combs, and claimed she would take myriad medication – marijuana, ecstasy and ketamine – to assist her carry out to Mr Combs’ satisfaction, but in addition to “disassociate”.

The medication had been “a strategy to not really feel it for what it actually was”, she stated, “having intercourse with a stranger I did not actually wish to be having intercourse with”.

As prosecutors pressed Ms Ventura concerning the “freak-offs”, she informed the courtroom of how Mr Combs would direct her to search out male escorts, strippers or dancers to have intercourse with whereas he watched.

She alleged that Mr Combs would pay the boys anyplace from $1,500 to $6,000 in money, relying on their efficiency.

They discovered the boys by stripper firms and websites like Craigslist. A few of their pictures had been exhibited to the jurors, together with Daniel Phillip, who completed his testimony earlier on Tuesday.

Ms Ventura and Mr Combs had the enounters in cities all over the world, together with Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas and Ibiza, Spain, Ms Ventura testified.

Typically, males could be flown in throughout holidays, she alleged, and Mr Combs would direct her to ask workers to pay for and prepare their journey, calling them new staff.

Amongst different prices, prosecutors are attempting to show that Mr Combs engaged in intercourse trafficking – human trafficking for the aim of sexual exploitation – and transportation to have interaction in prostitution.

As prosecutors pressed Ms Ventura for graphic particulars, one key aspect emerged: Ms Ventura claimed that Mr Combs managed each a part of the encounters.

He selected the outfits she wore – all the way down to the extraordinarily excessive heels she stored on for hours – in addition to the sexual acts that transpired and the lighting, Ms Ventura informed jurors.

“If Sean wished one thing to occur, that was what was going to occur,” she stated. “I could not say no.”

Typically, Ms Ventura stated, she would take the lead on which male escorts to rent as a result of Mr Combs was “very busy”, however she solely did so at his route, she stated.

She stated freak-offs had a really particular “sample” of sexual acts every time.

“He was controlling the entire state of affairs,” she alleged. “He was directing it.”

At instances, Ms Ventura stated, she tried to inform Mr Combs that she felt “horrible”. However when he dismissed her considerations, she stated, she relented, apprehensive he would get indignant or query their relationship.

Ms Ventura is predicted to proceed her testimony on Wednesday, when she might additionally face cross-examination.

Get all the most recent trial updates on the BBC Sounds ‘Diddy on Trial’ podcast obtainable wherever you get your BBC podcasts.