Last week, defence lawyers urged a 14-month sentence. Due to time served, that would enable him to walk free almost immediately – following his arrest in September last year.
But he could, in theory, face up to 20 years in jail after being found guilty of two counts of transportation for engagement in prostitution. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
Judge Arun Subramanian, a US district judge, is due to sentence Combs in Manhattan on Friday.
Image: Combs reacts after the verdicts are read in July
During his trial, prosecutors said Combs coerced two of his former girlfriends to take part in what were described as “freak offs”.
He was found guilty of transporting male prostitutes across state lines to take part in those events.
Both women testified that Combs physically attacked them and threatened to cut off financial support if they refused to take part.
However, while jurors believed Combs broke the law over using sex workers, they did not find the sexual encounters involving the women were non-consensual, which is what prosecutors had argued.
Combs was cleared of the more serious charges of sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
In a written legal submission, his defence team has detailed “inhumane” conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.
They said the food sometimes contains maggots, that the rapper is routinely subjected to violence, and that he has “not breathed fresh air in nearly 13 months”.
They also said his “career and reputation have been destroyed”.
His legal team said Combs had been “adequately punished” already, was sober “for the first time in 25 years”, and had helped other inmates by creating an educational programme on business management and entrepreneurship.
Boyzone are reuniting for their biggest ever headline show next summer, inspired by the success of their recent documentary Boyzone: No Matter What.
Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham will perform live at Emirates Stadium, London, on Saturday 6 June 2026.
It will be the first time they’ve performed together since a five-night run at the London Palladium in 2019, and will be the largest show of their entire career anywhere in the world.
In January, a three-part documentary celebrated their success, as well as revealing the dark side of being in a boyband in the 1990s.
One of the biggest pop groups of the era, the five-working class lads from Dublin formed in 1993, put together by talent manager Louis Walsh. They broke into the UK charts the following year.
Six number one hits and five number one albums followed, with 25 million records sold across the world.
Stephen Gately’s untimely death back in 2009, as a result of an undiagnosed heart condition, means the full band will never again take to the stage, but the remaining band members say the show will be a time to remember Gately.
Boyzone said: “We’ve been truly blown away and humbled by the response to the documentary this year. The love we’ve felt from fans all over the world has inspired us to create the ultimate experience together, headlining our own stadium show.
“The four of us can’t wait to stand together again and enjoy One For The Road.”
Ticket pre-sale kicks off on Tuesday 7 October at 9am, with remaining tickets going on general sale 9am on Friday 10 October.
With hits including Words, No Matter What and Love Me For A Reason, the band have four BRITs and an Ivor Novello award, and after reuniting in 2007, they performed four sell-out UK arena tours between 2008-2019.
Boyzone: No Matter What is available on Sky and streaming service Now
JK Rowling has accused Emma Watson of being “ignorant of how ignorant she is” amid their ongoing disagreement about transgender issues.
The Harry Potter films’ three central stars – Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint – have publicly backed the rights of transgender people in recent years, often distancing themselves from the author when asked about her in interviews.
Rowling, 60, has previously been accused of transphobia, which she denies.
Watson, 35, discussed her relationship with the writer on a podcast last week, telling host Jay Shetty: “I think it’s my deepest wish that I hope people who don’t agree with my opinion will love me, and I hope I can keep loving people who I don’t necessarily share the same opinion with.”
Rowling has now shared a more than 600-word post on X in response to Watson, in which she states: “Like other people who’ve never experienced adult life uncushioned by wealth and fame, Emma has so little experience of real life she’s ignorant of how ignorant she is.”
Image: JK Rowling in 2019. Pic: AP
The author went on to say the Hermione Granger actress is never going to need a homeless shelter or be placed on a mixed-sex public hospital ward.
The multimillionaire author said that “I lived in poverty while writing the book that made Emma famous” and therefore “understand from my own life experience what the trashing of women’s rights in which Emma has so enthusiastically participated means to women and girls without her privileges”.
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Rowling added that while she has found it “hard to shake off a certain protectiveness” towards the Harry Potter stars, who she has known since they were children, there was a “turning point” in her relationship with Watson in 2022.
She said this happened when Watson gave a Bafta speech saying “I’m here for all the witches”, which some saw as a criticism of the author’s beliefs on gender.
Image: Emma Watson arrives at the Baftas in March 2022. Pic: Reuters
The actress then asked someone to deliver her a handwritten note saying “I’m so sorry for what you’re going through”, the author claimed on X.
This came at a time “when the death, rape and torture threats against me were at their peak” and “Emma had just publicly poured more petrol on the flames”, Rowling said.
In 2020, she was one of several Harry Potter stars who showed their support for the trans community when the author shared a series of divisive posts online.
“I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are,” the actress wrote at the time.