Casandra Ventura, the ex-girlfriend of American music star Sean “Diddy” Combs, broke down in tears as she testified against him in a United States. court on Tuesday.
Speaking at his ongoing sex-trafficking trial in New York, Ms Ventura, now 38 and pregnant with her third child, told the court how the rapper physically and emotionally abused her during their relationship.
“I fell in love with him,” she said, explaining that their romance began when she was 19 and he was 37. She also revealed that Mr Combs helped launch her music career after signing her to his record label.
But according to her, things turned dark quickly. “He wanted to control everything — how I looked, what I worked on. He paid for my house, my car, my phone, and would take them away to punish me,” she told the court.
She described several violent episodes, saying, “He would bash my head, knock me over, drag me and kick me.” She claimed the beatings left her with swollen lips, black eyes, and bumps on her forehead.
Ms Ventura also spoke about disturbing sexual experiences she called “freak-offs”. She said these were situations where Mr Combs hired male escorts to have sex with her while he watched.
“I just wanted to make him happy,” she said while crying. “But I felt worthless. It made me feel horrible about myself.”
She also told the court that she had to take drugs like marijuana, ecstasy, and ketamine just to get through those situations.
“It helped me disconnect from what was really happening — having sex with strangers I didn’t want to sleep with,” she said.
The court heard that these “freak-offs” happened in places like Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, and even Ibiza in Spain. Ms Ventura alleged that Mr Combs would pay the men between $1,500 and $6,000, depending on their “performance.”
She claimed he also made her arrange flights and bookings for these men during holidays, pretending they were new staff.
Ms Ventura added that Mr Combs controlled every part of the events — from the clothes she wore to the lighting in the room. “If Sean wanted something to happen, that was what was going to happen. I couldn’t say no,” she told jurors.
Even when she tried to talk to him about how bad she felt, she said he brushed her off. “I gave in because I didn’t want him to get angry,” she added.
Mr Combs, who has pleaded not guilty, faces several charges including sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transporting people for prostitution. He has not yet responded to Ms Ventura’s claims in court.
