Connect with us

Published

on

Singer Cassie is the key witness in the prosecution’s case against Sean “Diddy” Combs.

The pair were in an on-off relationship for about 11 years, from 2007 to 2018, after she signed to his label, Bad Boy Records.

She has alleged she was physically, sexually and mentally abused by Combs for most of this time, accusing him of forcing her into “hundreds” of drug-fuelled sex sessions with male escorts, known as “freak offs”, while he watched.

But his lawyers argue the singer, whose full name is Casandra Ventura, was a willing participant who consented to a “swingers lifestyle”.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial: Week 1 – Everything that’s happened so far

Combs, 55, is charged with sex-trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied any allegations of sexual abuse.

Musician Sean Coombs and Cassie Ventura arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala 2015 celebrating the opening of "China: Through the Looking Glass," in Manhattan, New York May 4, 2015. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Image:
Combs and Ms Ventura at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala in 2015. Pic: Reuters/Lucas Jackson

The trial in Manhattan, New York, is expected to last about eight weeks, with evidence from more women who will remain anonymous to come.

It is not yet known whether Combs himself will take the stand.

Ms Ventura, 38, has consented to being named and her testimony – including allegations about an alleged attack at a hotel in 2016, where Combs was filmed on CCTV seemingly beating and dragging her as she attempted to leave a freak off – is central to the case.

Here is what we have learned from her testimony.

‘Freak offs became like a job’

During her first day of evidence, Ms Ventura told the trial that after signing what was a huge 10-album deal with Combs’s Bad Boy Records, she only ever released her first, called Cassie, in 2006.

Instead, she said, freak offs with escorts became so frequent – and required recovery time – that they were like a job.

She was 22 when, during the first year of their relationship, she said the hip-hop mogul first proposed the idea. Her “stomach churned”, she said, and she was “confused, nervous, but also loved him very much”.

To jurors, she gave graphic details of these drug and drink-fuelled encounters with male escorts, saying Combs would watch and masturbate, and often record the encounters and watch the videos back.

They could last for hours or even days, she said – the longest allegedly for four days. She says she would get no sleep during these encounters, so used drugs to keep herself awake, but also disassociated.

“Freak offs became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again,” Ms Ventura said. Each time, she added, she had to recuperate from lack of sleep, alcohol, drugs “and other substances”, and “having sex with a stranger for days”.

After being shown images from a Freak Off (not shown to the public), jurors are shown images of what Casandra "Cassie" Ventura described as bruises from Sean "Diddy" Combs, at Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., May 14, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg
Image:
Jurors were shown images of bruises on Ms Ventura’s body. Pic: Reuters/Jane Rosenberg

Combs ‘used violence and blackmail’

Ms Ventura told jurors Combs was violent to her over the course of their relationship, giving her black eyes and bruises, kicking her and dragging her.

The hip-hop star became increasingly controlling, she said, and was allegedly abusive over the smallest perceived slights. “You make the wrong face, and the next thing I knew I was getting hit in the face,” she told the court.

When asked how frequently Combs became violent with her, Ms Ventura responded: “Too frequently.”

She said she began feeling as if she could not say no to Combs’s demands because “there were blackmail materials to make me feel like if I didn’t do it, it would be held over my head in that way or these things would become public”.

Ms Ventura described several alleged violent incidents, including one when she allegedly suffered a “pretty significant gash” above her left eye after the rapper threw her into a bed frame.

Rather than go to hospital for stitches, his security staff took her to a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, she said.

Jurors shown explicit images

During the second day of Ms Ventura’s testimony, the courtroom fell silent as images from freak offs were shown to jurors.

These were kept private from the public gallery so that only those who needed to see them could do so.

Combs asked Marc Agnifilo, one of his lawyers, to see a binder of the images, and thumbed through it for a few moments before handing it back.

The pictures included images of Ms Ventura with escorts.

Alleged rape after relationship ended

Ms Ventura told the court that Combs raped her at her home in Los Angeles, after she told him she was ending things.

“I just remember crying and saying no, but it was very fast,” she said, her voice trailing off.

She told jurors she did have consensual sex with the rapper on a subsequent occasion. “We’d been together for over 10 years. You just don’t turn feelings off,” she said.

Throughout her testimony she described a complex relationship with a man she loved and was desperate to please, but was also scared of. She has maintained she never wanted to have sex with strangers, but wanted to please him.

Sean "Diddy" Combs watches as Casandra "Cassie" Ventura leaves for a break in her testimony during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., May 15, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Image:
Combs watches as Ms Ventura leaves for a break in her testimony. Pic: Reuters/Jane Rosenberg

Why is Cassie testifying?

Telling the courtroom, and therefore the world, about her experiences, over four days of questioning, was humiliating and difficult – prosecutor Emily Johnson asked why she put herself through it.

Ms Ventura had remained fairly calm and composed throughout her time on the stand, with a few emotional moments, but at this point she broke down as she described her “personal shame” to jurors.

“I can’t carry this anymore,” she told the court. “I can’t carry the shame, the guilt, the way he treated people like they were disposable. What’s right is right, what’s wrong is wrong. I came here to do the right thing.”

Early in 2023, she said she started suffering from “flashbacks” and had suicidal thoughts, so went to rehab and trauma therapy.

Ms Ventura sued Combs in November 2023, and settled within 24 hours. She received £20m, the trial was told.

Combs ‘threatened Cassie and Kid Cudi’

Ms Ventura’s second day of testimony also included details of how she briefly dated Scott Mescudi, better known as singer and rapper Kid Cudi, during a low point in her relationship with Combs in 2011.

Combs lunged at her with a corkscrew and kicked her in the back when he found out, jurors heard, and threatened to blow up Mescudi’s car.

These allegations were also detailed in her lawsuit, which alleged his car did “explode in his driveway” around this time.

The hotel CCTV ‘attack’

CCTV from the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, filmed on 5 March 2016, was first released by CNN in May 2024 – six months after Ms Ventura filed her lawsuit and four months before Combs was charged with the crimes he is now on trial for.

It showed Combs, wearing just socks and a towel around his waist, allegedly beating and dragging Ms Ventura in a hallway.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

CCTV footage shows Diddy ‘attacking’ Cassie in hotel

She told the court this happened after she tried to leave a freak off after being hit by Combs during the session. She had the premiere coming up for her first film, The Perfect Match, the court heard.

Despite the incident, the pair were pictured at the event together.

Messages paint a complex picture

Under cross-examination from the defence, sexually explicit messages between Ms Ventura and Combs were read in court.

Some showed her expressing apparent enthusiasm about the freak off sex sessions she alleges she was forced into.

“I’m always ready to freak off,” the court heard Ms Ventura wrote in one message in August 2009.

In another, she told Combs about a freak off: “Can’t wait.”

And in another, jurors were told she described a video of one sex session with an escort as “dope”.

Messages from 4 March 2016, the day before the InterContinental Hotel incident, were also read in court.

One said: “Baby I want to FO so bad but I dont want to f*** myself up.”

Ms Ventura told the court this was damage limitation and that she wanted to keep him happy due to her upcoming film premiere.

Read more:
The rise and fall of Sean Combs
Diddy – a timeline of allegations
Everything you need to know about the trial

Jurors also heard details of an email she sent in 2009, in which she expressed conflicting feelings about taking part in these sex sessions with escorts.

In the email, she told Combs she needed to trust him “beyond it just being sexual” – that in order to be more open sexually, “I need to feel safe, like home”.

She told him “the last time was a mistake but since has made me feel a little dirty, and grimy as opposed to sexual and spontaneous”.

This was the reason she was going “back and forth in my mind with wanting and not wanting to do it”, she wrote. “I get nervous that I’m just becoming the girlfriend that you get your fantasies off with.”

Diddy ‘overdosed at Playboy Mansion’

Drug use came up a lot during Ms Ventura’s testimony, and she admitted to using drugs including ketamine, ecstasy, MDMA and opiates, saying she needed them in order to get through the freak offs.

She also claimed Combs used drugs and said she believes he was addicted to opiates when they were together.

Ms Ventura told the court he was taken to hospital after overdosing on opiates at the Playboy Mansion in 2012 – something which was reported by media outlets including TMZ at the time, when it was said he had suffered a migraine.

The trial continues.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Salt Path author Raynor Winn responds to claims she lied about ‘true’ story

Published

on

By

Salt Path author Raynor Winn responds to claims she lied about 'true' story

Salt Path author Raynor Winn has said claims she lied about her story are “highly misleading” and called suggestions her husband made up his illness “utterly vile”.

A report in The Observer disputed key aspects of the hit book, billed as an “inspiring and life-affirming true story” about a couple’s coastal trek.

Winn released a lengthy statement denying the paper’s claims and shared medical letters apparently sent to her husband, Moth, that appear to support a diagnosis for a rare neurological condition, Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD).

One letter mentions his prior “CBS [Corticobasal Syndrome] diagnosis”, while another concludes he has “an atypical form” of CBD.

The author said accusations he lied about having CBD/CBS are false and have “emotionally devastated” him.

Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear
Image:
Raynor and husband Moth (centre) with actors Jason Isaacs (L) and Gillian Anderson (R). Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear

“I have charted Moth’s condition with such a level of honesty, that this is the most unbearable of the allegations,” Winn wrote on her website.

The Observer claimed to have spoken to experts who were “sceptical” about elements of his story, such as a “lack of acute symptoms and his apparent ability to reverse them”.

PSPA, a charity that supports people with CBD, ended their relationship with the family following The Observer’s claims.

Winn said she had never suggested walking was “some sort of miracle cure” and that there can be “symptoms for many years before they finally reach a diagnosis”.

“Even then, many sufferers’ symptoms present in an atypical way,” she wrote.

“They might not present with the same symptoms, occurring in the same order, or with the same severity.”

Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear
Image:
The memoir was turned into a film, released. Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear

Winn also posted the letters on Instagram and said they are grateful Moth’s condition is slow-progressing.

She clarified it is now commonly referred to by specialists as CBS, “which describes the symptoms observed during life”.

The bestselling book was also recently released as a film, starring Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson, charting the couple’s 630-mile trek along the Cornish, Devon, and Dorset coast – a journey sparked by the devastation of losing their house.

The Observer claimed the portrayal of a failed investment in a friend’s business wasn’t true, rather they lost their home after Raynor Winn embezzled money from her employer, Martin Hemming, and had to borrow to pay it back and avoid police action.

Winn’s statement said the dispute with Mr Hemmings wasn’t the reason they lost their home – but admitted she may have made “mistakes” while in the job.

“For me it was a pressured time,” she wrote. “It was also a time when mistakes were being made in the business. Any mistakes I made during the years in that office, I deeply regret, and I am truly sorry.”

She admitted being questioned by police but said she wasn’t charged.

Winn added: “I reached a settlement with Martin Hemmings because I did not have the evidence required to support what happened. The terms of the settlement were willingly agreed by both parties.”

Read more from Sky News:
Heat health alert and hosepipe ban as third heatwave hits
Analysis reveals cost of renting over owning home

The author reiterated the book’s version of events: that the loss of their home in Wales stemmed from an investment in a friend’s property portfolio that went sour.

Her statement goes into legal detail about how it transpired and admits – as The Observer suggested – that the couple at one point tried to raffle the house.

However, the author said they “quickly realised it was a mistake as it clearly wasn’t going to work. We cancelled it and refunded the few participants.”

The 63-year-old also denied having any outstanding debts and said it was “blatantly untrue” the couple were hiding behind pseudonyms after The Observer quoted people who said they knew them by the surname Walker.

“Winn is my maiden name and like most women who have married I’ve used both my maiden name, Winn, and married name, Walker,” said the statement.

She also explained she preferred the first name Raynor, rather than her birth name Sally Ann, so took that as her pen name; while Moth is an abbreviation of her husband’s name, Timothy.

“The legal names we use on our bank records, our utility bills etc. Our friends and neighbours use Sal and Tim interchangeably with Ray and Moth – there is nothing hiding in our names,” she said.

Sky News has contacted The Observer for a response to Winn’s statement.

Raynor Winn had been scheduled to make numerous appearances over the summer, performing with Saltlines, her collaboration with Gigspanner Big Band.

However, the band has since announced on social media that she will no longer be taking part in the tour.

She was also scheduled to take part in various Q&As, conversations, writing courses and festivals.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Reservoir Dogs actor Michael Madsen died from heart failure, says cardiologist

Published

on

By

Reservoir Dogs actor Michael Madsen died from heart failure, says cardiologist

Actor Michael Madsen, who starred in Reservoir Dogs and Thelma & Louise, died from heart failure, his cardiologist has said.

The 67-year-old was found unresponsive in his home in Malibu, California, last Thursday and pronounced dead.

His doctor said heart disease and alcoholism will be listed as factors which contributed to the star’s death, reported NBC Los Angeles.

With no suspicious circumstances and the death listed as being from natural causes, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department considers the case closed.

In a career spanning more than 40 years, Madsen’s film credits include Free Willy, Donnie Brasco and Sin City.

He was also known for his collaborations with director Quentin Tarantino, including in Kill Bill: Vol. 2, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

The Chicago-born actor also linked up with Tarantino when he played Mr Blonde in 1992’s Reservoir Dogs.

More from Ents & Arts

Michael Madsen played Mr Blonde in Reservoir Dogs. Pic: THA/Shutterstock
Image:
Madsen played numerous roles, including Mr Blonde in Reservoir Dogs. Pic: THA/Shutterstock

Read more from Sky News:
Christian Horner sacked by F1 team Red Bull
Stereotypes Lena Dunham had to get over for new romcom

His sister, Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, paid tribute to her brother in a statement to Variety.

She wrote: “My brother Michael has left the stage.

“He was thunder and velvet. Mischief wrapped in tenderness. A poet disguised as an outlaw. A father, a son, a brother – etched in contradiction, tempered by love that left its mark.”

Madsen was preparing to release a new book called Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts And Poems.

A statement by managers Susan Ferris and Smith, and publicist Liz Rodriguez, said the book by “one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors” was currently being edited.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Fantasy v reality: Lena Dunham’s Too Much is a new spin on the London romcom

Published

on

By

Fantasy v reality: Lena Dunham's Too Much is a new spin on the London romcom

Horse-drawn carriages, picturesque gardens and endless cups of tea are just some of the stereotypical tropes that have shaped America’s romanticised image of England before even stepping foot on the island.

Thanks to classical literature and a steady stream of period dramas, Lena Dunham was no exception.

“I had so many fantasies,” she tells Sky News about growing up slightly obsessed with British culture.

“I loved Jane Austen, I loved Charlotte Bronte, I love British film, I was one of those little Anglophile kids.”

The writer and director believed it would be that area of classically depicted England that would fill her time when she first moved to “jolly old London” as a teenager with her mother for a brief time.

Instead, her attention was taken by another, and possibly equally influential group of artists.

“There was a pop show about S Club 7 and all I did was just sit in the hotel and obsessively watch things relating to [the group],” she said.

“So, I didn’t go home with all this cultural British knowledge. I went home with a deep abiding love of S Club 7 and came back to school when everyone was obsessed with the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC.

“For me, I was literally like, ‘Guys, you got to hear this hot track right off the presses, it’s called Reach For The Stars’.”

Lena Dunham in a clip from Netflix series Too Much. Pic: Netflix
Image:
Pic: Netflix

It wasn’t until her 30s, when the actress moved again to the city, that reality took hold and she quickly learned the difference between the imagined London and the real city.

Some stereotypes hold true, like the universal love for Paddington. Still, TV tropes like renting a flat on a single income in the city does not necessarily mean you’ll be treated to lavish rooms and a picturesque garden.

She says it was social cues she found most challenging to adjust to, as well as the different dictionaries used when speaking, technically, the same language.

“You come to a new country and even though you speak the same language, you’re totally absent from those tools,” she says.

“And I found that really striking as an adult in my 30s, trying to make friends, trying to date. I found it confusing enough to be a person in my own city of origin, so this was extra confounding.”

Too Much, her new Netflix series, is loosely inspired by her own London chapter and follows a workaholic New Yorker in her 30s who is sent across the Atlantic to work on a new project.

The 10-episode show is produced by Working Title – the company behind Bridget Jones, Notting Hill, About A Boy and Love Actually – and stars Hacks breakout actress Megan Stalter and The White Lotus actor Will Sharpe.

Megan Stalter stars as Jessica in Lena Dunham's new Netflix comedy Too Much. Pic: Netflix
Image:
Pic: Netflix

Dunham says she always wanted to write about her time in the UK, but it was a conversation with Irish actor Andrew Scott that got the ball rolling.

“Actually, he’s the reason that I came to know Meg as an actor because he loved her on Hacks and he loved her videos, and he said: ‘Have you watched this woman’s work? I feel like there’s a real connection between you two’, and I started watching because of him and built a show around her.”

In a full circle moment, Scott appears in the series briefly as an arrogantly odd man who crosses paths with Megan Stalter’s character Jessica.

Andrew Scott in Lena Dunham 's new Netflix comedy series Too Much. Pic: Netflix
Image:
Pic: Netflix

The Ridley actor isn’t the only famous face joining the cast in a cameo role. Dunham put a call out to most of Hollywood, and luckily lots were on board.

To name just a few, guest stars include Jessica Alba, Stephen Fry, Adwoa Aboah, Kit Harington, Rita Wilson, Rita Ora, Richard E Grant, Emily Ratajkowski, Andrew Scott, Prasanna Puwanarajah and Jennifer Saunders.

“It was one of those situations where you just reach for the stars, literally, and then you can’t believe when they appear,” says Dunham.

“It was just a non-stop parade of people that I was fascinated by, wanted to be around, completely enamoured of.”

Read more from Sky News:
How the case against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs unfolded

In pictures: The King’s state banquet for France’s Macron

Lena Dunham speaks to Sky's entertainment reporter Debbie Ridgard
Image:
A whole host of high-profile cameos feature in Lena Dunham’s Too Much

She adds: “I remember asking Naomi Watson, thinking, there’s absolutely no way that you’re going to want to come play this slightly demented woman. And she’s so playful and she’s so joyful and she just wanted to come and engage.

“Also, Jennifer Saunders has meant so much to me for so long, I had the AbFab box set as a kid, and I just think Patsy and Edina are the ultimate kind of messy women.

“She really showed me what comedy could be and… the space that women could occupy in comedy, and so having her come and join the show was really incredible.

“That was an episode that someone else was directing, Alicia McDonald, an amazing director, so I just got to sit and watch at the monitor like I was watching a movie, and it was very surreal for me.”

Too Much is out on Netflix now.

Continue Reading

Trending