Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs appeared in court to start off his eight-week long trial – with some fans and family gathering outside the courtroom to show their support for the rapper
P Diddy’s trial is underway, with the disgraced rapper due to appear over the next eight weeks – but many so-called fans turned up to share their support for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
Diddy’s high-profile trial, which began this afternoon (Monday May 12), sees him facing charges including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation for prostitution. The 55-year-old denies all the claims against him.
He has been detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest in September. Prosecutors today claimed that the rapper acted in a dangerous ring of criminals. However, one fan came to the courtroom and suggested she hopes he gets off free.
A longtime fan of Diddy, named Roza Leonora, showed up to federal court today to show support for the music mogul as his sex trafficking trial began.
“I felt sad, sorry for him,” Leonora, 42, told The Independent when she and several others saw the video feed of Combs in the courtroom from one of the several overflow rooms.
It appears that Combs’ hair had turned grey since he was jailed and he appears to have lost plenty of weight. Adding to this, Leonora thinks the charges against Combs are unfair and were wrong.
She said her “heart broke” when she first saw the video of Combs beating up Cassie Ventura in 2016, but she “never” believed the story about freaks offs that prosecutors say incited the incident.
“I’m hoping he walks,” Leonora said.
She was not the only fan present, however. Earlier, as potential jurors arrived, one made a statement dressed head-to-toe in Diddy gear. The fan’s get-up was all black, topped off with a hat and hoodie sporting “Free Puff.”
During the first day of the trial, prosecutor Emily Johnson said: “To the public he was Puff Daddy or Diddy. A cultural icon. A businessman. Larger than life.
“But there was another side to him. A side that ran a criminal enterprise. During this trial you are going to hear about 20 years of the defendant’s crimes.
“But he didn’t do it alone. He had an inner circle of bodyguards and high-ranking employees who helped him commit crimes and cover them up.”
“He called himself the king and expected to be treated like one,” Johnson added. “He expected his inner circle to cater to his every desire including his sexual desire. And his inner circle made sure he got everything he wanted.”
Diddy denies all claims brought against him.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
