Casandra Ventura took the stand as the prosecution's key witness in the sex-trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs in New York on Tuesday
Warning: This page contains distressing details
The hip-hop mogul's ex-girlfriend told the jury about how Combs would "frequently" assault her, saying he would "bash on my head, knock me over"
She said she experienced "nervousness and confusion" over participating in Combs' "freak-offs", but was worried what would happen if she refused
Combs, 55, faces charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution
Combs has denied all charges. If found guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in prison
The BBC's Nada Tawfik assesses the opening statements in the Diddy trial
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
The short lunch break is now over, and Cassie Ventura will be taking the stand once again.
When we left off, prosecutors were having her walk through her long relations op with Combs, including some of the abuse she endured.
She also talked about the toll the so-called "freak-offs" took on her.
Warning: This post and others below contain distressing details
The federal court in New York is taking a lunch break. Here is what has happened in the Sean "Diddy" Combs sex-trafficking trial so far today:
Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court
Warning: This post and others below contain distressing details
As she continued testifying, Ventura described her career stalling, saying the drugs and sex parties with Combs consumed her life at that time.
"The freak-offs became a job, where there was no space to do anything else but recover," she said.
She told the court the sessions could last anywhere from 36 hours to four days.
Court has adjourned for lunch. Ventura will continue her testimony when we resume in about 30 minutes.
Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court
Warning: This post and others below contain distressing details
Before court recessed for lunch, Ventura testified about how Combs controlled every aspect of her life, from how she looked to what she did all day.
Assistants and security would get involved too, she tells the court, trying to contact her and find her when she was out of reach.
Combs also had access to several of her residences where he'd show up unannounced, Ventura said.
Cassie Ventura's testimony has paused and the court is now breaking for lunch.
Image source, Jane Rosenberg / ReutersThe first court sketch of the day has been shared with us. It shows Combs making a hand gesture in the form of the heart symbol to his family members, who are in court to support him.
As a reminder, photography and video recording is not allowed in the federal courtroom.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Warning: This post and others below contain distressing details
During the first hour of Cassie Ventura’s testimony, prosecutors have been taking the court through the history of her 11 year on-and-off again relationship with Sean "Diddy" Combs.
It started when Ventura was a young artist and was "sexually inexperienced" she tells the court, adding that she felt confused by Combs’ interest in her at first.
As she responds to questions, Ventura - who is about eight months pregnant, is frequently rubbing her stomach and taking long breaths.
Eventually, she says, their relationship progressed into a romantic one over a series of several trips. At the time, she says, she felt like they were in a monogamous relationship, though she knows now that Combs had other girlfriends.
But it wasn’t long before cracks started to emerge, she says. "I began to just experience a different side of him," she says.
Combs wanted to control every aspect of her life, from how she looked to her work, she tells the court.
When he couldn’t reach her immediately, he and his employees would call her incessantly or come and find her in person, she says.
His mood would change from calm one minute to agitated or angry the next, Ventura testifies.
Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court
The prosecutors are now showing Ventura images from laptops, phones and iPads she provided to the government when it started its investigation.
Some of the photos show her as young as 19, when she first met Combs.
Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court
Warning: This post and others below contain distressing details
Wiping tears from her eyes, Ventura is now describing the first time Combs introduced her to the so-called "freak offs".
"I remember my stomach falling to my butt," she says. "Just the nervousness and confusion… I had just turned 22."
Ventura says it involved hiring an escort and Combs would watch her with another man while he directed them.
She says she didn’t want to participate in the "freak offs", but she did so because she "loved him very much" and "wanted to make him happy".
Ventura tells the jury she was scared of what he would do if she said no. Physical violence from Combs was always on the back of her mind, she says.
She tells the court Combs blackmailed her with video of the "freak offs" to get her to do more.
She said Combs is "charming" and that she didn’t want to lose him, and that made it hard to know what she needed.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Warning: This post and others below contain distressing details
Prosecutors most consequential witness is now taking the stand.
Combs’ former girlfriend, musician Cassandra Ventura, has just walked into the room wearing a snug, long brown dress that shows Ventura is about eight months pregnant.
She speaks softly and takes deep breaths before answering prosecutors’ questions.
It does not take long for the government to ask about the decades of abuse Ventura says she endured at the hands of Combs.
Ventura says Combs would "bash on my head, knock me over, drag me, kick me".
Asked how often, she replied: "too frequently".
As a result, she says, she endured busted lips and black eyes and knots in her forehead.
Just five minutes into her testimony, prosecutors pulled up the viral video of Combs beating Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway.
She tells the court she and Combs were having a "freak-off" that day, a sexual encounter he introduced her to during the first year of their relationship.
She says it was a "sexual encounter called voyeurism" where Combs would watch her have sex with another male.
Image source, WireImage/ Getty ImagesCassie Ventura
Cassandra 'Cassie' Ventura, 38, was Combs' girlfriend for a decade whose bombshell lawsuit alleging sexual abuse and domestic violence sparked a separate federal investigation.
Ventura is a singer who first gained popularity in the early 2000s. She released several songs that featured Combs.
Her most well-known tracks include Me & U, Long Way to Go and Official Girl, featuring Lil Wayne.
Ventura alleges Combs started intensely pursuing her in 2005, when she was 19-years-old and he was 37.
Cassie is now married to actor Alex Fine and is a mother of two. She’s currently pregnant with her third child.
Casandra Ventura, the singer known as Cassie who is Combs' ex-partner, is taking the stand next, according to reporters in the courtroom.
She is the prosecution's key witness. Stick with us as we bring you the details from her testimony.
Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court
Court is taking a brief recess and when we get back, Cassie Ventura will likely be called as the next witness.
Cassie’s testimony has been the most anticipated of the trial, and previous witness testimony has centred on her relationship with Combs.
Ventura is heavily pregnant, and whether or not she will walk past the jury has been a subject of contention for the defence team.
Yesterday, Combs’ lawyers asked for Cassie to be seated beforehand, saying seeing her pregnant could influence the jury.
Daniel Phillip's testimony has now finished and court is taking a short break.
We could possibly see R&B singer Cassie Ventura, Diddy's ex-girlfriend, on the witness stand next.
Image source, ReutersWe're seeing images now of Cassie Ventura's husband, Alex Fine, arriving at the New York court.
We're expecting Ventura to testify today. Stick with us and we'll bring you the latest.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
The second witness, Daniel Phillip, is back up on the stand.
Yesterday he told the court about how Cassie Ventura and Combs paid him to have sex with Ventura while Combs watched. On two instances, he alleged Combs attacked Ventura.
Combs’ team is cross examining Phillip this morning, trying to poke holes in his credibility and make it seem as though Ventura was the one in control.
Combs’ attorney Xavier Donaldson asks if Ventura appeared to be on drugs the first time they met, to which Phillip responds, "no".
It was "fair to say she (Ventura) was in complete control of everything, right?" Donaldson asks Phillip.
"I cannot say that," Phillip replies.
We’re expecting about an hour of cross examination, meaning Ventura could take the stand later this morning.
Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court
Proceedings have started, and the legal teams are discussing Cassie Ventura’s upcoming testimony.
The first matter at hand - who will get to see the images and videos of the sex parties which Combs reportedly called "freak offs" .
The prosecution and defence both argue that the nature of the content is "pornographic" and shouldn’t be shown to anyone besides the jury.
A legal representative for various news organisations is requesting videos be shown to journalists and public attendees of the trial. The videos are newsworthy and should be shown, he says.
The judge indicates he will settle this matter at a later date.
The defence also wants to question Cassie about an alleged assault they say she committed at her brother's birthday party, after which she allegedly texted Diddy that she "tried to kill someone".
The prosecution says it is not relevant, but the judge overrules.
Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court
Combs entered the courtroom wearing a grey sweater and pants, similar to what he wore yesterday.
He greeted his legal team with hugs and handshakes. He looked back at the gallery where members of his family are located, before taking a seat.
Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court
Image source, Getty ImagesPeople wait to enter Manhattan Federal Court
It’s another slightly chaotic day at the Diddy trial, with spectators lining up overnight to try to get a seat in the courtroom.
I’m in an overflow room packed with reporters, influencers, and even a member of Combs’ legal team.
People are waiting for key witnesses to take the stand. Most notably, singer Cassie Ventura is expected to testify later today.
Image source, ReutersA court sketch of Daniel Phillip on the witness stand
Combs is now in the courtroom and the judge is dealing with some matters before we get back to witness testimony.
On the stand first up today will be Daniel Phillip, who started his testimony yesterday afternoon.
The defence will continue its cross examination of Phillip, which they indicated should take about one hour.
The former manager of male strippers told the court he met Combs and the hip-hop mogul's former girlfriend Cassie Ventura at what he thought was a bachelorette party.
Instead when Phillip arrived at a hotel, he was greeted by Ventura who told him it was her birthday and her husband wanted to give her a gift.
Phillip told the court he would go on to have sex with Ventura on several occasions, sometimes under the influence of drugs - as Combs watched and sometimes filmed.
He alleged that he witnessed Combs attack Ventura twice, including one time when he dragged her by her hair as she screamed "I'm sorry".
Phillip told the court that he did not call police for fear that Combs was "someone with unlimited power" and that he could "lose his life" for reporting it.