The mother of Cassie Ventura has told a court she felt “physically sick” when her daughter told her Sean “Diddy” Combs had threatened to “release two explicit sex tapes” after discovering his long-time girlfriend was dating someone else.

Giving evidence on Tuesday, the seventh day of the trial, Regina Ventura said she did not initially understand the email Cassie sent her in December 2011, saying, “The sex tape threw me, [Diddy] was trying to hurt my daughter.”

The email said Combs was planning to release two explicit videos of her and send someone to hurt her and the man she was seeing, rapper Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi.

Regina said the family took out a home equity loan and paid Diddy $20,000 to recoup money he had spent on Cassie “because he demanded it,” angry that Cassie was now dating Cudi.

She said the money was returned days later.

During her evidence, jurors were shown photographs of bruises on Cassie’s body Ms Ventura said were taken when her daughter returned home for Christmas in 2011.

Regina’s time on the stand was fairly brief, as the defence declined the opportunity to question her.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial: Day 7 – As it happened

Prosecutors say Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, forced women to take part in days-long, drug-fuelled sexual performances known as “Freak Offs” from 2004 to 2024, facilitated by his large retinue of staff. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty.

The rapper faces five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Last week, the prosecutors’ star witness, Cassie Ventura, who dated Combs for over a decade, spent four days giving evidence.

Combs’s legal team has sought to show jurors that his relationship with Ventura was complicated, and while they acknowledge he was an abusive partner, and had substance issues, they say the sex acts described by the prosecution were consensual.

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‘Diddy wanted our bodies to shine’

A male exotic dancer nicknamed “The Punisher” also gave testimony, telling jurors that in the autumn of 2012, Cassie contacted him asking him to “create a sexy, erotic scene” Diddy, and using the pseudonym “Janet”.

Sharay Hayes said he went on to have eight to 12 more encounters with the couple, having sex with Cassie, while Diddy watched from a distance.

He described the hotel rooms as routinely being dressed with electric candles and sheet-covered furniture, and says Cassie told him not to “acknowledge” her husband, and to “try not to look at him and no communication”.

He says Diddy would often wear a cap, and he could not see his face, but he later realised it was the famous rapper.

“The Punisher” mentioned using a “considerable amount of baby oil” during the performances, saying “[Diddy] wanted us to keep our bodies covered, to shine”.

He later described the acts as “a fetish type thing,” and while he said he believed Cassie was fully consensual, he also said he “did occasionally see her sigh or wince” and said she would frequently look at Diddy “for cues”.

Paid between $1,200 (£900) and $2,000 (£1.500) for each performance, he said he was not called back after struggling to get an erection during one encounter.

He said he never saw Diddy use drugs or saw filming during any of the performances.

Car park dispute with Suge Knight

David James, Diddy’s ex-personal assistant, also completed his evidence and testified that he never saw physical violence between Cassie and his former boss.

James, who worked for Diddy for two years, said he left Diddy’s employment after he realised his “life was in danger” following a dispute in a car park with rival record label owner Suge Knight, which culminated in Diddy bringing three handguns to try to find Knight and his entourage.

He also detailed an altercation between Diddy and his personal chef, Jourdan Atkinson, and said he refused to file a police report after Diddy told him to say “Chef Jourdan hit him first”.

The final person to give evidence was a special agent responsible for planning the March 2024 raids on Combs’s Miami home on Star Island.

Steve Gannon showed photos of items taken during the raid, including sex toys, high heels and loaded guns, and explained how an armoured vehicle was used to break down the mansion’s front gate to gain entry while the family was away on a trip.

Combs has been held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since September and faces at least 15 years or possibly life in prison if convicted.

The trial is set to last for around two months.

Actor George Wendt, who played Norm Peterson in the iconic sitcom Cheers, has died at the age of 76.

His family said he died early on Tuesday morning, peacefully in his sleep, according to publicity firm The Agency Group.

“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him. He will be missed forever,” the family said in a statement.

His character as an affable, beer-loving barfly in Cheers was watched by millions in the 1980s – earning him six consecutive Emmy nominations for best supporting actor.

The sitcom was based in a Boston bar “where everybody knows your name” – proved true given everyone would shout “Norm!” when he walked in.

Wendt appeared in all 273 episodes of Cheers – with his regular first line of “afternoon everybody” a firm fan favourite.

He was also a prominent presence on Broadway – appearing on stage in Art, Hairspray and Elf. Before rising to fame, he spent six years in Chicago’s renowned Second City improvisation troupe.

In an interview with GQ magazine, he revealed he didn’t have high hopes when he auditioned for the role that would catapult him to fame.

“My agent said: ‘It’s a small role, honey. It’s one line. Actually, it’s one word.’ The word was ‘beer.’

“I was having a hard time believing I was right for the role of ‘the guy who looked like he wanted a beer.’

“So I went in, and they said, ‘It’s too small a role. Why don’t you read this other one?’ And it was a guy who never left the bar.”

One of nine children, Wendt was born in Chicago and graduated with a degree in economics.

He married actress Bernadette Birkett in 1978, who voiced the character of Norm’s wife in Cheers but never appeared on screen. They have three children.

Wendt’s nephew is Jason Sudeikis, who played the lead role in Ted Lasso.

Netflix and Sesame Street have agreed a deal that will bring the children’s show to the streaming platform’s wider audience after President Trump cut federal funding for the free-to-air TV network Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

Later this year, new episodes will be shown on Netflix as well as PBS and the PBS Kids app on the same day.

Select past episodes will be available on Netflix worldwide. No specific start date has been announced.

It comes after Warner Bros Discovery decided last year not to renew its deal for new episodes on HBO and Max, though episodes will remain on there until 2027.

That was followed by Donald Trump issuing an executive order earlier this month to block federal funding to PBS and the National Public Radio (NPR) network, because he believes their coverage is biased.

For the show’s 56th season, the episodes will revolve around one 11-minute story, Netflix said.

It will feature more exploration of the Sesame Street neighbourhood and also give a look inside 123 Sesame Street, which houses Elmo, Bert and Ernie, and others.

Sesame Street said on X: “We are excited to announce that all new Sesame Street episodes are coming to @netflix worldwide along with library episodes, and new episodes will also release the same day on @PBS Stations and @PBSKIDS platforms in the US, preserving a 50+ year relationship.

“The support of Netflix, PBS, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting serve as a unique public-private partnership to enable Sesame Street to continue to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.”

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Sesame Workshop said in a statement: “This unique public-private partnership will enable us to bring our research-based curriculum to young children around the world with Netflix’s global reach, while ensuring children in communities across the US continue to have free access on public television to the Sesame Street they love.”

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Sesame Street has won more than 200 Emmys in addition to Peabody awards, as well as a Kennedy Centre Honour for lifetime artistic achievement.