The controversial star Sean “Diddy” Combs was not alone at the start of his trial via E! Online.
Many of his loved ones have been present in the court room quietly showing their support—including mother Janice Combs, sons Quincy, 33, Justin, 30, and Christian, 26, 18-year-old daughter Chance and 17-year-old twins D’Lila and Jessie. The music mogul is facing charges of racketeering, s*x trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. (He has pleaded not guilty to the charges).
The first days of Combs’ trial have included testimony from ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura as well as from male escort Daniel Phillip, who each graphically recounted sexual encounters between them and involving Combs.
Twice during Phillip’s testimony, per multiple outlets with reporters present in the courtroom, Combs’ three daughters Chance, D’Lila and Jessie excused themselves from the courtroom. One of the occasions, according to the outlet, was when Phillip described Combs mas**rbating while watching him have s*x.
In his testimony from May 12th, Phillip had alleged around 2012 or 2013 he had been given “a few thousand dollars” to have s*x with Ventura while Combs watched. “We ended up having s*x, rubbed baby oil on each other for a couple minutes,” Phillip told jurors, per NBC News, noting Combs was “sitting in a corner mas***bating.”
During the first days of Combs’ trial, the prosecution played a video from 2016 that depicted the rapper assaulting Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel. As the video was played, according to People, Combs’ daughters and mothers remained in the courtroom but did not look at the video, looking straight ahead, while Combs’ sons watched.
During her May 13th testimony, Ventura alleged the assault occurred after she tried to leave a “freak off,” which she described were s*xual encounters orchestrated by Combs often involving Ventura and a male s*x worker.
“I chose to leave,” she told the court, as per NBC News. “I got out and Sean followed me into the hallway, and grabbed me, shoved me to the ground, kicked me and dragged me back to the room and took my stuff.”
The 38-year-old, who is currently pregnant with her and husband Alex Fine’s third baby, alleged that after Combs shoved her to the ground in the hallway, she stayed down because “she didn’t want him to do any more damage than he had already done.”
Elsewhere in her testimony, Ventura recounted Combs asking her to participate in “freak offs” two to three months into their relationship (the pair, who are separated by 17 years, would go on to date off and on for a decade beginning in Ventura’s early 20s).
“I didn’t have a concept of how that would that be a turn on, but I accepted the responsibility,” she said of the sexual encounters. “I was confused, nervous, but also loved him very much and wanted to make him happy.”
