P Diddy trial latest: Cassie testifies against rapper: 'I was 22, my stomach churned'

'Freak offs became a job - and longest lasted four days'

The court has now taken a break for lunch.

Before this, Cassie Ventura was asked questions about Sean Combs visiting her at home unannounced, which she says happened a lot.

Asked how she would feel about this, she told jurors it would depend on his mood. "It was a stomach in knots moment," she says, as she "didn't know what was going to come of the visit".

She also talked about the "freak offs" again, saying they "became a job" and there was "no space to do anything else".

She said they involved taking drugs and drinking, and having sex with strangers, and that the longest lasted for four days.

After the break, Ms Ventura will continue her evidence from 6pm UK time.

'Make the wrong face and the next thing I knew I would get hit in the face'

The court is told about Sean Combs's alleged mood swings.

Cassie Ventura says he "swung different ways quite a bit".

It got to a point "where you know how to handle certain people, timing, what to say, how to present something to make sure the person isn't upset with you", she says.

Asked by prosecutor Emily Johnson how his moods affected her during their 10-year relationship, which began in around 2008, Ms Ventura alleges she was physically and psychologically abused.

"Make the wrong face and the next thing I knew I would get hit in the face."

Combs would tell her "watch your mouth", she adds.

Psychological abuse is "every day", Ms Ventura continues - "someone constantly telling you what to do".

Cassie: Combs gave me ecstasy before first time we had sex

Cassie Ventura tells the court about the first time she had sex with Sean Combs. They were on a boat in Miami and he had given her an ecstasy pill, she says.

After this trip, they started to spend more time together, she tells the court, but their relationship was not made public for several years.

"He just didn't want it to look bad, but also knew it was because of his children and personal things like his family," Ms Ventura says.

She says Combs was in a relationship with Kim Porter, the mother of three of his children, around this time.

Ms Ventura says she began to travel "everywhere" with Combs. "I was his shadow," she adds.

Their first year of dating was fun, jurors hear, and she was "enamoured" by him. Asked by prosecutor Emily Johnson how long she felt this way, she says it was off and on, and that she started to experience a different side to the rapper.

Combs wanted "control over my life", Ms Ventura alleges, from her looks to her work to the people she spoke to.

"Everything moved very quickly for me and there was no way to keep up with what was happening," she tells the court.

Cassie says Combs made her feel 'special' - but she was young and inexperienced

The court hears that in December 2023, a month after suing Sean Combs, Cassie Ventura provided items including laptops and phones to the government.

Jurors are then shown photos of Ms Ventura and Combs from the years they met and started dating.

She tells the court she was 19 when she signed a 10-album deal with his label, Bad Boy Records, in 2006; Combs would have been about 36 at the time.

As an aspiring artist, this seemed like a huge break. Ms Ventura released an album with Bad Boy in August of that year, the court hears, but no more after that.

Jurors are told that Combs kissed her on her 21st birthday. Asked if she wanted this to happen, she says she didn't at this point but later became comfortable with him.

However, she tells the court she was young and inexperienced, and "did not have the vocabulary" for some of they things they talked about.

She says she was "curious" and wanted to be around Combs as he was "exciting" and she felt "special", but also says she "didn't really know what I felt".

Cassie describes 'freak offs': 'I was 22 at the time, my stomach churned'

Prosecutor Emily Johnson quickly moves on to an image of the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles - the hotel discussed yesterday.

Cassie Ventura tells the court it shows her and Sean Combs and that they were having an encounter at the hotel, known as a "freak off".

Asked how she knew what a freak off was, Ms Ventura says Combs proposed a sexual encounter with a third party during the first year of their relationship.

She was 22 at the time, the court hears, and she says her stomach "churned". Ms Ventura says she was confused and nervous but also loved Combs and wanted to make him happy.  It came to a point where she felt like she didn't have a choice, she says.

Ms Ventura tells the court she doesn't remember how it came about but it involved hiring an escort, and Combs watching and directing them.

The rapper was in charge of the hiring at first, she says, but eventually she was tasked with this.

Combs watches her intently as she gives her evidence.

Ms Ventura tells the court that at that point, the hip-hop mogul "controlled" a lot of her life, including her career. She says she was young and didn't have much say, and became fearful of him being violent and of sexual encounters becoming public.

She says Combs was charming, describing him as a "polarising" person.

Cassie tells court: Combs was violent - I suffered black eyes and bruises all over

Cassie, full name Casandra Ventura, is now giving evidence.

She is wearing a brown dress and it is clear she is pregnant - indicating that the defence lawyers lost their bid for jurors not to see this (see 14.36 post).

After taking the oath, she gives her age, 38, and tells the court she is a musician.

Asked about Sean Combs, she says they were in a relationship, with breaks, for 10 years.

Prosecutor Emily Johnson asks Ms Ventura if she and Combs had arguments. She tells the court there were frequent violent arguments and that Combs would knock her over, drag her and kick her.

Asked if she was ever injured, Ms Ventura says she suffered black eyes, red eyes and bruises "all over my body".

Star witness Cassie in court - testimony about to begin

Sean Combs's former partner Cassie, full name Casandra Ventura, is called as the next witness.

The R&B singer and model has been at the centre of this case after suing Combs in November 2023, alleging years of abuse. 

Footage made public in 2024, of an incident between the pair in a Los Angeles hotel hallway, was shown in court yesterday as jurors heard from a former security guard who was on duty at the hotel at the time.

Yesterday, prosecutor Emily Johnson told the court: "For years, the defendant physically abused Cassie. He also sexually exploited her, forcing her to have sex with male escorts while he watched and recorded it."

Now, Ms Ventura - the star witness for the prosecution - is about to give her own evidence.

Former escort questioned on his feelings for Cassie

Xavier Donaldson, one of Sean Combs's lawyers, continues his cross-examination of former escort Daniel Phillip.

He asks if he thought he was establishing a bond with Ms Ventura, to which he answers "correct".

However, when asked if he thought he was in a relationship with her, he says this is "incorrect."

Mr Phillip is also asked if he told federal prosecutors last year that he was jealous when Ms Ventura and Combs were having sex, to which he says he does not recall.

After a few further questions from both the prosecution and defence,  he finishes his evidence and leaves the witness stand.

The judge has called a short break before the next witness.

Male escort who had sex with Cassie as Combs watched faces further questions

Former male escort Daniel Phillip is back on the witness stand, answering questions under cross-examination from Xavier Donaldson, one of the defence lawyers for Sean Combs.

Yesterday, he told the court that he had sex with Cassie Ventura as Combs watched, and that he was paid "a few thousand dollars".

Mr Phillip said he had several subsequent encounters with the pair, which lasted between an hour and 10 hours, and that he witnessed or heard the rapper being violent on two occasions.

Today, Mr Donaldson is asking him about his first encounter with the former couple, at a hotel.

Mr Phillip tells the court that Combs was quiet while he had sex with Ms Ventura. He replies, "correct", when it is put to him that she was not drunk or high on drugs at this time.

Asked if Ms Ventura was in complete control, he tells the court he could not say.

He is also asked about another encounter with the former couple, which he described yesterday. On that occasion, he said Ms Ventura did seem to be under the influence and Combs told him that nothing was happening - meaning they would not be having sex.

Mr Phillip says this is correct.

This is the only instance out of several encounters with Ms Ventura when she did appear to be under the influence, the court hears.

Court is now in session

Sean "Diddy" Combs, 55, is back in court and so is the jury.

The rapper is wearing a cream-coloured shirt, similar to what he wore in court yesterday.

He waves to his family in the courtroom from the dock.

Cross-examination of former escort Daniel Phillip is about to begin.

Cassie's husband arrives at court

Alex Fine, Cassie Ventura's husband, was pictured arriving outside the court earlier this afternoon.

Court sessions are due to begin at 9.30am each day (2.30pm UK time) but we are still waiting for the hearing to get started.

Defence lawyers don't want jury to see Cassie is pregnant

Before today's court session gets under way, the lawyers in the Manhattan court are having some discussions about Cassie Ventura's testimony.

The singer and model, 38, who is the prosecution's star witness, is eight months pregnant. Defence lawyers for Sean Combs, her former long-time partner, are opposed to jurors seeing this.

"Because I think there is a prejudicial quality," defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo told Judge Arun Subramanian. "Pregnancy is beautiful and wonderful. It also is a source of potential sympathy."

Cassie will testify today

It had been widely expected, and now we have learned that Cassie, full name Casandra Ventura, is set to give evidence today.

First up, the court will hear once again from Daniel Phillip, the male escort who testified yesterday, to answer questions under cross-examination.

Ms Ventura, Sean Combs's former long-time girlfriend, should be giving evidence after he finishes.

The R&B singer and model has been at the centre of this case after suing Combs in 2023, alleging years of abuse. 

CCTV footage made public in May 2024 showed the rapper seemingly beating her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 - and he apologised in a video two days later.

The footage, which was played for jurors during the first day of evidence yesterday, shows Combs wearing only a white towel, punching, kicking and dragging Ms Ventura in a hotel hallway. 

-SKY NEWS