A lawyer representing Sean “Diddy” Combs has instructed a court docket there was “mutual” home violence between him and his ex-girlfriend Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura.
Marc Agnifilo made the declare as he outlined a number of the music star’s defence case forward of the complete opening of his trial subsequent week.
Combs has pleaded not responsible to at least one depend of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of intercourse trafficking and two counts oftransportation for prostitution. If convicted, he faces as much as life in jail.
Ms Ventura is predicted to testify as a star witness for the prosecution throughout the trial in New York. The ultimate stage of jury choice is because of be held on Monday morning.
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Mr Agnifilo instructed the court docket on Friday that the defence would “take the position that there was mutual violence” throughout the pair’s relationship and referred to as on the decide to permit proof associated to this.
The lawyer stated Combs’s authorized staff meant to argue that “there was hitting on both sides, behaviour on both sides” that constituted violence.
He added: “It is relevant in terms of the coercive aspects, we are admitting domestic violence.”
Picture:
A court docket sketch displaying Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs (proper) as he listens to his lawyer Marc Agnifilo addressing the court docket. Pic: Reuters
Ms Ventura’s legal professionals declined to touch upon the allegations.
US District Choose Arun Subramanian stated he would rule on whether or not to permit the proof on Monday.
Combs, 55, was current within the court docket on Friday.
He has been held in custody in Brooklyn since his arrest final September.
Prosecutors allege that Combs used his enterprise empire for 20 years to lure ladies with guarantees of romantic relationships or monetary help, then violently coerced them to participate in days-long, drug-fuelled sexual performances often called “Freak Offs”.
Combs’s legal professionals say prosecutors are improperly searching for to criminalise his “swinger lifestyle”. They’ve urged they may assault the credibility of alleged victims within the case by claiming their allegations are financially motivated.
The trial is predicted to final round eight weeks.
