Diddy rejects plea deal in sex trafficking trial

Sean 'Diddy' Combs has formally rejected the US government's offer to plead guilty and spare himself the possibility of a prolonged prison sentence.

The musician appeared in court on Thursday, wearing glasses and a beige prison uniform, ahead of the start of his sex trafficking trial next week. He appeared to be in a good mood, and waved to the gallery as he arrived.

Asked by judge Arun Subramanian if he rejected prosecutors' plea deal, Combs replied: "Yes, I do, your honour. Thank you."

The 55-year-old has been is facing charges of sex trafficking and prostitution that allege he coerced women into prolonged sexual orgies he called "freak-offs". He has denied all the charges against him.

If he is found guilty, Combs could spend the rest of his life in prison.

At a recent hearing, his lawyer Marc Agnifilo offered a preview of the star's defence, saying that the rapper led the "lifestyle" of a "swinger".

Mr Agnifilo argued that while some people may find that behaviour inappropriate, it is not criminal.

Jury selection in the long-awaited trial begins on Monday - coincidentally the same day as the Met Gala, the glittering charity event where Combs was once a mainstay.

The process got under way earlier this week, as potential jurors were given questionnaires to discover what they already know about the case, part of an effort towards finding 12 people (and six alternates) who can be impartial, despite intense media coverage of the case so far.

Prosecutors and defence aim to screen up to 150 people before opening statements are given on 12 May.

The trial is expected to last at least eight weeks, with Combs' former partner Cassandra Ventura among those expected to give evidence.

Ventura, an R&B singer professionally known as Cassie, sued Combs in November 2023, accusing him of rape and serial physical abuse during their decade-long professional and romantic relationship, which he denied.

She settled the case just one day after suing - but CNN later broadcast surveillance footage showing Combs hitting, kicking and dragging Ventura in the lobby of a California hotel.

Combs' lawyers had tried to get the footage dismissed from the trial, arguing that it had been sped up and the events were shown out of sequence - although they did not deny their clients behaviour.

However, Judge Subramanian ruled last week that the footage could be admitted.

Since his arrest in September, Combs has been jailed in Brooklyn - far from the mansions in Miami and Los Angeles where he had been living, but about an hour from the Harlem neighbourhood where he was born.

In pre-trial hearings, he has looked older and thinner than his previous playboy persona. His hair and beard have gone grey, since hair dye is not allowed in the notoriously run down detention centre, where he is being held in a special protection unit.

For his trial, however, the hip-hop mogul has been given special permission to wear "non-prison clothing", with casual business attire replacing his tan prison jumpsuit.

According to a court order, Combs will be "permitted to have up to five button down shirts, up to five pairs of pants, up to five sweaters, up to five pairs of socks, and up to two pairs of shoes without laces to wear to court".

Defendants are often given permission to wear their own clothes during a trial, as prison outfits could subliminally influence a jury's decision.

Source: BBC