Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs asks court to prohibit sexual assault allegations from trial
Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs has requested that his sexual assault allegations be excluded from his upcoming criminal trial. A motion was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on April 7th, along with a competing argument from government prosecutors.
Combs’ trial is set to begin on May 5th, with the Bad Boy rapper facing charges of racketeering, sex trafficking by force and transportation for purposes of prostitution following his September arrest. He’s been detained at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center ever since.
Believing admission of evidence from past claims shouldn’t be included in the trial, Combs’ lawyers said, “These incendiary allegations are substantially more serious than the charged offences and, if admitted, would make it impossible for Mr Combs to receive a fair trial.”
According to court documents obtained by USA Today, the US government responded by claiming that relevant testimony “powerfully establishes” Combs “made no mistake when he coerced other victims into unwanted sex.”
Combs was hit with three counts last year. Then, on April 4th, a third superseding indictment charged him with two additional counts: one charge of sex trafficking and one of transportation to engage in prostitution.
The indictment claims Combs “recruited, enticed, harboured, transported, and maintained Victim-2, and attempted, aided and abetted, and willfully caused Victim 2, to engage in commercial sex acts, knowing and in reckless disregard of the fact that Victim 2 was engaging in commercial sex acts as a result of force, fraud, and coercion.”
In a statement, Combs’ attorneys said, “These are not new allegations or new accusers. These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends, who were involved in consensual relationships. This was their private sex life, defined by consent, not coercion.”