While we wait for court to start for the day (which should be in about 10 minutes), let's take a look at the timeline of the charges against Sean "Diddy" Combs.

16 September 2024: Combs is arrested after a grand jury indictment. He co-operated with authorities.

17 September 2024: Charges and details came out after Combs appeared in court. He was charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. In an indictment that was unsealed at the same time, prosecutors alleged that he also engaged in kidnapping, forced labour, bribery and other crimes.

30 January 2025: Prosecutors in New York expanded their case against Combs, accusing him of coercing two additional women into commercial sex acts, and of dangling a person over an apartment balcony.

6 March 2025: Federal case amended to include forced labour.

4 April 2025: Federal prosecutors amended the indictment against Combs for a third time, adding two new charges of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Combs has denied all charges.

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.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court

Image source, Jane Rosenberg / Reuters

Cassie Ventura has been referred to as a "time-sensitive" witness, as she’s about eight-months pregnant with her third child.

She’s been holding her stomach at times on the stand, and prosecutors say they’re worried she could even give birth by this weekend.

The judge has insisted the defence wrap up their cross examination by today so Ventura won’t be needed after the weekend.

The defence has pushed back on this, saying she’s the "most important witness in a very important case".

We’ll see how that plays out today.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court

Image source, Reuters

I’m at the Lower Manhattan courthouse where Sean "Diddy" Combs faces his fifth day in front of a jury.

This week we have been reporting on intense testimony from his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.

Outside the court, the crowd of spectators has slightly thinned compared to the start of the week.

Though journalists and spectators are still scrambling to get access to the courtroom where Combs and many of his family members are watching proceedings.

It’s been cloudy and sometimes raining outside every day, but people have still camped out overnight to try and get into the main courtroom with Combs.

Brandon Livesay
Reporting from New York

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex-trafficking trial in New York, where the hip-hop mogul's ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura will once again be on the witness stand.

Ventura has spent the past three days testifying graphic details of alleged sexual and physical abuse at the hands of Combs.

Today will start with the defence's continued cross-examination. And then it is possible the prosecution will have time to ask a few more questions.

Judge Arun Subramanian has made it clear he wants the eight-months pregnant Ventura to finish her testimony as soon as feasibly possible.

On Wednesday, prosecutor Maurene Comey told the court: "This witness is very, very pregnant. We are afraid she could have the baby over the weekend. We want her off the stand before the weekend."

We will be bringing you the latest from inside the courtroom throughout today. Stick with us.

Image source, Jane Rosenberg / Reuters

Day four of Diddy's sex trafficking trial has ended. It was the third straight day the court saw Cassie Ventura in the witness box. This time, Sean 'Diddy' Combs' attorneys were cross examining her and her testimony for the prosecution.

Here's what's happened:

• Lawyer Anna Estevao asked Ventura about the more loving side of the pair's time together, after Ventura testified over the last two days about alleged violence and abuse
• In court, text messages and emails between Combs and Ventura were shown that appear to show Cassie was enthusiastic about the so-called "freak-offs" plans. "Freak-offs" were sexual encounters in which male escorts were paid to have sex with Ventura while Combs watched, directed, and filmed
• Prosecutors have alleged Combs coerced Ventura into participating and blackmailed her with the recordings. Combs' lawyers hope the messages will help them establish to the jury the "freak-offs" were consensual
• The court heard about the couple's topsy-turvy, on-and-off relationship that spanned about 11 years and about drug taking by both Ventura and Combs

• Now we wait to see if Ventura will be on the witness stand beyond Friday. Judge Arun Subramanian signalled his frustration after defence lawyers said Ventura, who is about eight months pregnant, will continue to be cross examined next week

We are pausing our coverage of today's proceedings. The BBC's Diddy on Trial podcast has followed every twist and turn in the rapper's case since November 2024.

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.

Pratiksha Ghildial
Reporting from court

Court has wrapped up for today but the line to get in tomorrow morning is already taking shape.

Outside the federal courthouse, about 15 line sitters are already here to queue overnight. They line up in exchange for a fee.

Robert Samuels, the CEO of Same Ole Line Dudes, takes great pride in the work his employees do, seeing it as a form of public service.

“We line sit not only for big media companies but also for others," he told the BBC. "We help the media bring essential news to the public.”

He says that the interest in high-profile cases means sometimes his staff lines up the day before and takes adequate precautions for safety and well-being.

Since the trial began this week, others have joined long lines, sometimes in the rain, just to get a glimpse of the action in the courtroom.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from court

Two legal analysts I spoke with gave me their impressions of the defence's cross examination.

Former federal prosecutor Sarah Krissoff felt Anna Estevao took the right tone, chipping away at the government’s legal theories without appearing too aggressive and turning off the jury.

She said while it may seem tedious to go through years of text messages, the presentation was an effective way to get Diddy’s narrative in, through Cassie’s own words.

She said the defence was trying to show jurors that it was a toxic, violent, and complicated relationship - but not a case of racketeering or sex trafficking.

Former trial lawyer Terry Austin also thought the defence did a good job of arguing that Cassie was in control, consented and benefitted from the relationship.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court

We've just wrapped up another day in court, where Cassie Ventura sat on the stand for a seven-hour cross-questioning that will also take most of the day tomorrow.

The defence has said they will likely need another full day to complete their questions before Ventura is redirected back to prosecutors, who said they will need 30 minutes more to finish questioning her.

Judge Arun Subramanian, who appeared to get irritated at lawyers from both sides at times, asserted to the defence that Ventura needs to be off the stand by the weekend. Prosecutors have said they worry Ventura - who is around eight months pregnant - could give birth at any time, even over weekend.

Today's testimony was mostly focused on topics Ventura has already told the court about, with the defence seeking to undermine her previous narrative. The defence presented dozens of messages between Ventura and Sean Combs in an effort to show the R&B singer was a willing participant in the "freak-offs" and sometimes initiated them.

Questioning also focused on drug use by Ventura and Combs, implying Combs' alleged violence centred around being intoxicated and going through withdrawal, rather than any sex-trafficking.

It's likely the cross-examination will continue for most of the day tomorrow, which would be Cassie's fourth day on the stand.

We've just seen members of Combs' family leave the courthouse in lower Manhattan before getting into a van.

Various members of Combs' family, including six of his seven children and his mother, have appeared in court every day this week so far.

Cassie Ventura's testimony has just ended for the day, and the jury has been dismissed, according to reporters inside court.

Combs' legal team is expected to continue Ventura's cross-examination tomorrow.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

We have just taken a 10-minute break after a long round of questioning about drug use in the couple's relationship.

At certain points, Combs' defence lawyer Estevao has tried to undermine Ventura's credibility.

When discussing an episode in which Combs allegedly hit Ventura's friend Kerry Morgan in the head with a wooden hanger, Estevao accuses Ventura of telling law enforcement a different story about what happened.

Ventura clarifies that she only heard screaming from the bathroom and then saw the aftermath of the incident, and insists her story has not changed much.

It's been a scattered round of questions from the defence team, as they face pressure from the judge to finish their cross-examination by tomorrow afternoon.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court

The subject on the table right now is Ventura and Combs' use of drugs and alcohol throughout their relationship.

When talking about the so-called "freak-offs", Diddy's lawyer Anna Estevao referred to it as a "special time" for the two to do drugs in a "safe" environment.

Estevao keeps circling back to drugs as a way to question Ventura’s recollection of events.

"But you were on drugs, right?" has been a common response from Estevao to Ventura's descriptions about the abuse she says she faced.

Estevao also suggests that Combs was concerned about Ventura's drug use and was trying to get her help.

Ventura says more often than not Combs was the one encouraging that behaviour and doing drugs with her.

Estevao also suggests Ventura was taking drugs from Combs at the 2012 Cannes film festival in France, prompting his violence.

"You were an addict, that's why you took drugs from him," the lawyer says.

"I didn't. He suspected I did," Ventura responds.

If convicted on the racketeering charge, Combs faces up to life in prison.

He faces another statutory minimum sentence of 15 years if he is found guilty of sex trafficking.

Transportation for purposes of prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Combs has denied all charges against him.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

It’s been an afternoon filled with celebrity names, and accusations of infidelity.

Combs’ attorney Anna Estevao has been continuing to push her argument that both Combs and Ventura acted out of jealousy in their relationship.

After going through Ventura’s brief relationship with rapper Kid Cudi again - and how enraged it made Combs - she brings up another one of Ventura’s relationships.

It was 2015, and Ventura was in South Africa filming the movie Honey 3 - Dare to Dance. Ventura saw a photo of Combs out with a woman named Gina, whom he told Ventura in the past he was not dating.

So Ventura broke up with Combs and blocked him, beginning to date actor Michael B. Jordan soon after, Ventura tells the court in response to Estevao’s direct questions about it.

All these questions are likely a part of Combs’ attorneys' larger argument that their client wasn’t using violence to coerce Ventura into sexual acts, but was acting out of jealousy over perceived infidelities.

Image source, Jane Rosenberg / Reuters

A new court sketch by artist Jane Rosenberg shows Diddy's lawyer Anna Estevao questioning Cassie Ventura. They are seen reviewing one of several text messages between Cassie and Diddy. It reads: "Pop Pop I really miss you".

Earlier in her testimony, Ventura told the court that Combs once asked what she called her grandfather, and that he then asked her to call him that name too - "Pop Pop".

As a reminder, photography and videography is not allowed in the US federal court in New York, but we can get a glimpse inside via these court sketches.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from court

Image source, Reuters

Diddy’s trial has attracted a lot of personalities.

A few of his supporters regularly turn up, blasting his music from their phones or cars as they drive by the courthouse.

Others yell out “Free Diddy”, including from right behind me while I’m on air talking about the case.

During court breaks, lines of influencers can be seen recording their hot takes on the testimony.

And inside the courthouse, it has been a little different from past trials I’ve covered.

We have already had a few times where court staff threw out disruptive people from the overflow rooms where journalists and the public can watch proceedings on a monitor.

At one point, we were straining to hear important testimony while a security guard tried to kick out a very vocal and combative woman.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court

Cassie Ventura admits she would get "insanely jealous" when she’d see Sean "Diddy" Combs with another woman.

Defence lawyer Anna Estevao asks if she was jealous when Combs spent time with Kim Porter, his former partner and the mother of his twin daughters and one of his sons.

Ventura says she was jealous at times, and that he cheated on her frequently with other women.

The defence asks if Combs ever got suspicious that she was with another man.

She said yes, and when he was jealous it was "a little scary".

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from court

The defence team is reviewing dozens of messages between Combs and Ventura.

They highlight messages from Combs which seemingly give Ventura the option not to participate, including one that said, "if you’re not into that, no problem".

The defence is also trying to build the narrative that Ventura often said yes to the so-called "freak-offs". One section of communication read in court is about Ventura going to pick up supplies from a sex store.

Ventura seems agitated with some of the questioning.

"This isn’t about what I feel is relevant at all right? Because there’s a lot that we skipped over," she says in response to one message thread being read out in chunks.

She’s repeatedly said she did not want to partake in the "freak-offs" during her prior testimony.