Summary

  • Lawyers for Sean 'Diddy' Combs have finished questioning Cassandra Ventura after asking her about text messages exchanged between the pair

  • Warning: Readers may find some details distressing. The BBC Action line offers mental health support and advice in the UK, while Befrienders Worldwide offers support for those outside the UK

  • The R&B singer says she would give back the $20m legal settlement she was paid the day after she accused Combs of rape and sex trafficking - if it meant never having done a "freak off"

  • The defence appeared to continue their strategy of painting Ventura as an unreliable witness, mentioning a bar fight the singer was involved during 2013, our reporter Sakshi Venkatraman writes from court

  • The day wrapped up with two final witnesses, including music star Dawn Richard, marking an end to the first week of testimony in the case

  • Combs faces charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution

  • The 55-year-old denies all charges. If found guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in prison

  • Listen to the BBC's Diddy on Trial podcast

Live Reporting

Edited by Caitlin Wilson and Jamie Whitehead, with Sakshi Venkatraman, Nada Tawfik and Brandon Livesay in court

  1. What can we expect to hear from Combs’ lawyers today?

    Madeline Halpert
    Reporting from court

    It’s likely to be a tense day in court, when Sean "Diddy" Combs’ lawyers will begin questioning his ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura.

    They are likely to question Ventura on whether she could have taken herself out of situations - like the so-called "freak-offs" - where Ventura says Combs directed her and male escorts to perform sex acts.

    It’s a key part of the argument we heard during opening statements from Combs’ lawyer Teny Geragos, who claimed Ventura and other victims were "strong, capable" women with free will.

    It will be Anna Estevao questioning Ventura today. Female lawyers have often been the ones to cross examine female witnesses in high-profile cases like this.

    We will likely hear a lot of objections from the government, as we did from the defence during the prosecution’s questioning.

  2. Diddy's children are sticking together and want to protect their dad, spokeswoman says

    Nada Tawfik
    Reporting from court

    I caught up with Diddy’s spokeswoman, Holly Baird, before heading inside the courthouse for the defence’s cross examination of Cassie.

    She tells me the defence plans to spend at least two days on cross examination and will look to fill in some gaps and questions they feel jurors and others might have.

    She says they’ll question Cassie on why she stayed with him, and if there was love in the relationship.

    They’ll also try to put the text messages between the two of them in context, she says, in order to show his point of view and what he says was going on in real time.

    Remember, the defence has admitted that there was domestic violence, but Diddy denies the racketeering and sex-trafficking charges against him.

    Baird also shared that the trial and the entire situation has been difficult for the Combs family.

    I asked if Diddy’s kids’ confidence in him has been shaken at all by Cassie’s distressing testimony.

    She insisted that they are still sticking together and want to protect their dad.

  3. What did we hear in court on Wednesday?

    Madeline Halpert
    Reporting from court

    A court sketch of Diddy and Cassie in court.Jane Rosenberg / Reuters

    Warning: Readers may find some details distressing

    It was an emotionally gruelling testimony for Combs’ ex Casandra Ventura during her second day on the stand yesterday.

    Prosecutor Emily Johnson questioned Ventura about several instances of Combs’ alleged assaults - a time he attacked her in front of her friends, and a time he "lunged" at her with a wine bottle opener.

    We heard about a time in 2018 where Ventura alleges Combs raped her in her home after they had broken up.

    Ventura also told the court Combs forced her to stay at a hotel for a week after he had beaten her, to hide her injuries.

    The prosecutors’ argument is that Ventura did not have free will to leave Combs - and it's a line of questioning that we will likely see the defence team try to take down today.

  4. Diddy's lawyer arrives at court

    Sakshi Venkatraman
    Reporting from court

    Marc Agnifilo arrives at courtSakshi Venkatraman / BBC

    Hello from the Lower Manhattan courthouse, where Sean Combs will face his fourth day in front of the jury in his sex-trafficking trial.

    The scene today is far less chaotic than earlier this week.

    Crowds to see the music mogul have thinned out significantly and cameras only line one side of the street.

    We just saw Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo enter the courthouse, and camera crews immediately swarmed him.

    This is a big day for the defence, who will be questioning Cassie Ventura for the first time.

  5. Listen to the BBC's Diddy on Trial podcast

    Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty
    Podcast host, Diddy on Trial

    Promo for Diddy on Trial featuring a photo of Sean 'Diddy' Combs wearing a red jacket and black sunglasses

    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.

  6. Diddy's lawyers to question Cassie Ventura in sex-trafficking case

    Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Sean "Diddy" Combs sex-trafficking trial in New York.

    Yesterday, Casandra "Cassie" Ventura continued her testimony, facing questions from the prosecution against her former boyfriend - the music mogul Diddy.

    She will return to the witness stand for a third day, and will face questions from Combs' legal team.

    Combs, 55, has denied all charges against him.

    Stay with us as our reporters in court bring you the latest on this trial.