Image source, Reuters

Anonymous witness and former assistant to Sean “Diddy” Combs, known by the pseudonym "‘Mia", took the stand today.

The New York court heard in detail about the alleged abuse she and Cassie Ventura faced from Combs.

The witness claims Combs sexually assaulted her "on more than one occasion". Life as his assistant went from being treated as his “best friend” to a “worthless piece of crap,” she tells the court.

"Mia" describes various times she witnessed Combs’s rage. Once, she says she was woken up by Ventura running into the room screaming: “You gotta help me, he’s going to kill me.”

She says she saw Ventura with black eyes, fat lips, bruising, and gashes on various occasions, but believed “Puff was above the police”.

Much of today's testimony focused on Diddy's alleged rage and power. Her descriptions of Combs’s temper are very similar to what we’ve heard from Ventura and others who have taken the stand, the BBC's Nada Tawfik writes from court.

We expect to hear more from 'Mia,' the alleged victim and former employee of Combs, throughout the week.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court

Court has adjourned for the day and "Mia" - Combs's former assistant - is off the stand.

The prosecution will pick up with more of her testimony tomorrow before she passes onto the defence for cross examination.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court

"Mia's" testimony is painting a picture for the prosecution of the power that Combs wielded.

She tells the court that if she ever came forward about being sexually assaulted, she would be exiled.

She worried Combs would physically hurt her if she told him no, and she testified that he often threatened to tell everyone, including Ventura, about the incidents.

"Mia" says she felt “terrified and trapped”.

Another assistant, Kayla Faulkner, came forward to the chief of staff about her suspicions Combs was beating Ventura, "Mia" says. After a company call, Kayla was fired, she testifies.

“I was going to die with this,” she says. “I didn’t want anyone to know.”

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court

"Mia" also tells the court that she didn’t think going to the police was even an option.

She says there were multiple times Combs’s name or face had gotten them out of speeding tickets.

One time, she says, an officer asked her to call Combs to prove she worked for him. Once she got him on the phone, the officer’s attitude changed. “Oh my god, Puff Daddy, I love you!” she recalls the office saying on the phone with him before letting her go.

She tells the court she never wanted to share the story of the sexual assaults, calling them “the most shameful thing of my life.”

Asked why she’s talking about it today, she said “I had to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

"Mia" testifies that there were other times Combs sexually assaulted her “sporadically” over the years.

But she can’t remember them, she tells the court, only a “dark feeling in my stomach” that she associates with the assaults.

"Mia" was asked by prosecutors why she did not tell Combs no during the alleged assaults.

“I couldn’t tell him no about a sandwich,” she says. “I couldn’t tell him no about anything.”

"Mia" tells the court she was worried Combs would seek retribution if she contacted the police, that he would “fire me and ruin my future and somehow twist the story.”

“I knew his power. And I knew his control over me. I didn’t want to lose everything I worked so hard for,” she says.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Warning: This post contains distressing details of sexual assault

"Mia" talks about one incident where she was busy packing a suitcase for Combs in his closet.

All of a sudden, she looked up and Combs was right in front of her with his genitalia out, she says.

He then forced himself on her orally, she testifies.

Another time, he came into her room one night while she was sleeping at his house and woke her up with his “weight” on top of her before sexually assaulting her.

“It was very quick but it felt like forever,” "Mia" says through tears.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

It’s been an emotional afternoon of testimony as "Mia" walks us through several times in which Combs allegedly sexually assaulted her.

She is frequently stopping her testimony as she cries and reaches for tissues when prosecutors ask her if she wanted to have sex with Combs, to which she says no.

Combs, meanwhile, has been sitting in the same position for pretty much all of court today, sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed in his lap.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court

Warning: This post and others below it contain details some readers may find distressing

In a quiet voice, broken with pauses, "Mia" is now starting to talk about the times Combs allegedly sexually assaulted her.

She tells the court Combs assaulted her several times during her employment with him. The first incident was when she was in her 20s and only a few months in to the job as his personal assistant, she says.

At his 40th birthday party at the Plaza Hotel in New York, Combs called her into the kitchen alone and gave her two shots of vodka, she testifies.

She says she immediately felt the effects of the shots, saying they hit her harder than shots normally do. Combs allegedly came closer, leaned in, kissed her and put his hand up her skirt.

“I was shocked and I froze,” she testifies. “I didn’t even process what was happening.”

She tells the court she then blacked out - and says the next thing she remembers is waking up in his penthouse suite on a chair. She thought it would never happen again and that it was a mistake because he was drunk.

But it did happen several more times over the years that she worked there, she says.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court

"Mia" is describing an incident in which she says Combs slammed her arm in a heavy bathroom door multiple times.

She tells the court that Combs suspected her of hiding something on her phone, so he took it and ran into a restroom in the Revolt TV offices.

She says she tried to follow, just getting her arm in the door. She testifies that Combs then slammed the door on her arm several times. She thought it was broken, but she was just bruised, she says.

Later that day, she testifies, Combs told her he had sent all her naked photos to his phone.

She says she was relieved because she didn't actually have any naked photos on her phone.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from court

Warning: This post and others below it contain details some readers may find distressing

"Mia" has just detailed an incident at Combs’s Los Angeles house, where he threw a bowl of spaghetti at her.

She says one morning, at 03:00, he instructed her to get everyone food. She headed first to her room to change a tampon, which she says sent him into a rage.

"Mia" describes how she pointed to the blood running down her leg to explain that it was an emergency. In response, she says he threw a bowl of spaghetti at her and chased her outside the house.

She says she was barefoot and hid in a bush before going to a hotel. Human resources spoke to her afterwards and suspended her without pay because the boss had told them to, "Mia" testifies.

Her descriptions of Combs’s temper are very similar to what we’ve heard from Ventura and others who have taken the stand.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from court

Image source, Reuters

"Mia" often pauses briefly to find the right words, or says sorry if she struggles.

While she has kept her composure, it’s clear that this isn’t easy for her.

She also seems to be doing everything she can to avoid catching sight of Combs. Prosecutors have asked her how her boss treated her. She says sometimes he would treat her like “his best friend and working partner,” but other times like “a worthless piece of crap”.

Asked to expand, she says he could be her protector or humiliate her, go on long rants about how stupid and incompetent she was, throw things at her and threaten her job.

When things were good, he would talk about how bright her future at his company would be, but if things were bad, he would take away her projects and credits.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from court

Warning: This post contains references to drug use.

Prosecutors now move onto a line of questioning surrounding drug use.

"Mia" says she never took drugs before working for Combs, but did a handful of times as his employee.

She says that one time he gave her MDMA and told her she was now a part of the “breakfast club,” which she took to mean the cool kids and circle of friends that partied together.

That time, she describes feeling “safe and protected doing it under Puff’s supervision".

But she describes another time, at the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert, when she felt pressured to take ketamine.

"Mia" testifies that she initially refused to take the drug, but Combs wouldn’t let it go. She pretended to snort the powder, but tells the court that he got upset. He humiliated her, she says, then separated a dose for her. She felt like she didn’t have a choice other than to take it, the court hears.

She also details the times she witnessed him taking drugs, including at what she viewed as inappropriate locations such as board meetings or talk shows.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from court

"Mia" recalls an instance when they were in Ventura’s car in Los Angeles, when Combs messaged.

She says Ventura told her: “Ugh, Puff wants a hotel night.”

"Mia" describes Ventura’s reaction as visibly upset and nervous with stomach issues.

She says they had a term, “man down,” referring to the recovery the two of them needed after the "freak-offs".

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Warning: This post and others below it contain details some readers may find distressing

"Mia" tells the court that cleaning up hotel rooms used for the "freak-offs" was “a nightmare”.

The rooms were “destroyed” she says, adding there was candle wax everywhere as well as wet towels and broken glass.

One time there was blood, which Combs said was from Ventura’s period, the court hears.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

"Mia" is now testifying by about the so-called "freak-offs", which she says Combs’s staff called “hotel nights”.

She testifies that she was in charge of setting up and cleaning the hotel rooms before and after.

She says she had to be “on call” to bring them anything they might need during these nights.

One time, "Mia" says, she had to bring something up to the hotel room. Ventura answered the door and looked “like she was struggling," she tells the court.

"Freak-offs" were encounters where Ventura had sex with male escorts while Combs directed them.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court

"Mia" testifies that she saw Ventura with black eyes, fat lips, bruising, and gashes on various occasions, but she never called the police.

“I believed Puff was above the police,” she says.

She tells the court that in an era before “Me Too”, she didn’t know if she would be believed or if she would be violating her confidentiality agreement with Combs.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court

A different time in Turks and Caicos, "Mia" says she and Cassie took paddle boards out into the ocean to get away from Combs.

"Mia" tells the court that an “irate” Combs was pacing back and forth on the beach as they paddled further from shore.

Suddenly, she says, the sky turned black and the weather started to change. “I was debating if it was scarier to face Mother Nature or to go back to Puff,” she says.

The two eventually paddled their way back to shore, "Mia" tells the court.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court

Court is back from lunch break, and we’re picking up where we left off with Combs’ former employee “Mia” on the stand.

Her eyes are still trained downward - she hasn’t looked up at Combs or the courtroom while speaking.

"Mia" continues to tell the court about times she witnessed Combs’s rage. One incident she testifies about was when she was in Turks and Caicos with Ventura and Combs.

She says she was woken up in her hotel room by Cassie running into the room screaming: “You gotta help me, he’s going to kill me.”

Ventura and "Mia" barricaded the entrance with the hotel furniture and Combs pounded on the door.

"Mia" testifies that the two women exited through a back door and ran down the beach away from Combs.

Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty
Podcast host, Diddy on Trial

The BBC's Diddy on Trial podcast has followed every twist and turn in Diddy’s case since November 2024.

From bombshell balcony dangling allegations, to featuring in a Kanye West track behind bars, and Diddy accusing the federal government of racism - there have been headline-making moments every week... and that's before the trial even started.

Now we're bringing you all the updates straight from court in New York.

You can listen to the podcast on BBC Sounds or watch on our YouTube channel, external.

Image source, Getty Images

While court breaks for lunch, let's revisit the charges against Sean "Diddy" Combs.

The 55-year-old was arrested in September 2024.

In this federal criminal case being heard in New York, Combs is charged with racketeering conspiracy, two charges of sex trafficking and two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Many of the most severe allegations relate to the racketeering conspiracy charge. This includes accusations of kidnapping, drugging, and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes using firearms or threats of violence.

He has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations against him. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.