Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs is currently on trial for sex trafficking and racketeering charges. On June 16th, the jury was shown footage of the rapper’s “freak-offs” for the first time, which came six weeks into his eight-week trial.
Jurors were provided with headphones as they watched clips from three videos played by prosecutors. The public screens were turned off, and the defence team was denied access to the clips.
The jury had previously only heard audio and seen images of the sex marathons, which would allegedly last for days.
Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassie, testified about “freak-offs” earlier this month. Speaking to the court, she said, “It basically entails the hiring of an escort and setting up this experience so that I could perform for Sean.”
She alleged it would involve Combs “being able to watch me with the other person and actually direct us on what we were doing. Eventually, it became a job for me, pretty much.”
Cassie said “freak-offs” could last between 36 hours and four days, involving heavy drug taking and sex with strangers. She added, “The freak-offs became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again.”
Combs’ legal team requested access to the “freak-off” tapes before the trial in January. They claimed his innocence, writing in a letter, “Any fair-minded viewer of the videos will quickly conclude that the prosecution of Mr Combs is both sexist and puritanical.
“The videos depict clearly consensual sex among willing adults in a decades-long relationship and fundamentally undermine the government’s case and Victim-1’s claims.”
US District Judge Arun Subramanian denied the request, stating, “Defendant’s motion to amend the protective order is DENIED without prejudice.” He sided with the prosecutors’ argument that providing the videos could create privacy and safety risks.
The trial remains ongoing.
