Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs refused bail a second time as he faces sex trafficking charges | Ents & Arts News
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been refused bail a second time as he faces several charges including sex trafficking, drug possession and firearms offences.
US district judge Andrew L Carter said the government had proved “by clear and convincing evidence that there is no condition or set of conditions” that will ensure the safety of the community and that the rapper and music mogul will not tamper with witnesses.
The 54-year-old pleaded not guilty after he was first arrested by officers at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York, on Monday.
He was originally denied bail and told he would be detained after pleading not guilty to three felony counts during an initial court appearance on Tuesday.
Then lawyers representing Combs asked a judge on Wednesday to let him await his trial at his luxury home, on an island near Miami Beach, as opposed to in jail in Brooklyn.
But prosecutors argued against the arrangement, saying there was too great a risk that Combs could threaten or harm witnesses.
A legal indictment released after Combs‘s arrest detailed allegations dating to 2008, accusing him of abusing, threatening and coercing women for years “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct”.
Sean Combs, centre, sits next to his defence attorneys Marc Agnifilo, left, and Teny Garagos, at Manhattan Federal Court. on Tuesday. Pic: Elizabeth Williams via AP
He allegedly induced female victims and male sex workers into drug-fuelled sexual performances, dubbed “Freak Offs”, according to the report.
Combs, formerly known as Puff Daddy and P Diddy, was once one of the most influential figures in hip-hop – famous as a producer and manager of the late Notorious BIG, as well as a rapper in his own right for hits including I’ll Be Missing You, Come With Me, and Bad Boy For Life.
However, in November, his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, filed a lawsuit accusing him of coercing her, and others, into unwanted sex in drug-fuelled settings.
The suit was settled in one day, but months later CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her on a floor.
He apologised after the video aired, saying: “I was disgusted when I did it.”
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