Diddy trial live updates: Text messages between rapper and Cassie before 'freak offs' read out in court

Sky News

15-05-2025

Cassie expressed conflicting feelings about 'freak offs' in email, court hears
In one message, the court hears, Ms Ventura told Combs she "just deleted our little vid" off her camera, calling it "dope".
She has previously alleged in court that the rapper used videos off her sexual encounters with male escorts to blackmail.
Jurors now hear about an email sent in 2009, in which Ms Ventura seems to be expressing conflicting feelings about taking part in the freak off 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. At first, when they were "so in love... there were no questions asked, it felt right".
She told him: "I get nervous that I'm just becoming the girlfriend that you get your fantasies off with."
Defence lawyer Anna Estevao asks her in court if this was an important part of their relationship.
Ms Ventura says it was "an integral part".
Text messages between Cassie and Diddy before freak offs read in court
Back on the witness stand, Cassie Ventura is being asked about sexually explicit messages exchanged with Sean Combs.
We are not including all the content of these messages here.
"Can't wait," Ms Ventura said in one message, talking about taking part in a freak off, the court hears.
In another message, Combs told her he was "horny" and she replied: "Omg I was just about to text you the same thing."
In one, she told him: "I'm sorry, I'm nervous, I feel like I wanna f***".
In pictures: Diddy's family and Cassie's husband arrive at court
As on every other day of the trial this week, Sean Combs's family are at court to support the rapper.
We've just had these pictures through from news agencies showing his mother Janice Combs, 85, and three of his seven children arriving earlier today outside the court in Manhattan.
Cassie's husband Alex Fine is also back at court today. They married in 2010 and have two children, and Cassie is eight months pregnant with their third.
Graphic message from Cassie to Combs draws objections
Cassie Ventura could be seen whispering to Judge Arun Subramanian before the break was called just an hour into today's hearing, write Adam Reiss and Matt Lavietes, reporting for our US partner NBC.
The sudden break came just as attorneys for Sean Combs were showing the court explicit emails between the former couple, from 2009.
A graphic message from Ms Ventura to Combs drew an objection from prosecutors, which the judge sustained.
The email appears to be an effort on behalf of Combs's lawyers to undermine Ms Ventura's repeated claims that she did not want to participate in the freak offs.
The hearing has now resumed.
And we've also had the first court sketch of the day through, with artist Jane Rosenberg depicting Combs taking notes as Cassie gives evidence.
Break called as 'freak off' messages introduced
Judge Arun Subramanian has called a quick break.
This comes after the discussion turned to messages about the "freak off" sex sessions.
In one, Cassie Ventura told Sean Combs she was "always ready to freak off".
She has told the court that she never wanted to take part in these sex sessions with escorts but did so to please Combs at first, and later because she was scared of the repercussions of not doing so.
Diddy's defence lawyers question Cassie about 'freak offs'
Defence lawyer Anna Estevao asks Cassie Ventura about the "freak off" allegations that have been central to this case.
Ms Ventura, 38, has alleged she endured "hundreds" of sex sessions with escorts, under the influence of drink and drugs, and that these were "directed" by Sean Combs, 55, while they were together.
Ms Estevao asks Ms Ventura why she first agreed to take part, and she tells the court that at that time, she wanted to make Combs happy.
Jurors hear she told Combs, who had six children at the time, that she hoped they would one day have a child together.
The defence lawyer puts it to her that Combs "opened up" her world "tremendously". Ms Ventura responds: "In a different way."
"To make him happy you said you wanted to do freak offs?" Ms Estevao says.
"No, it was a lot more than that," Ms Ventura responds.
Cassie says Diddy relationship was 'fast, scary' - but rapper could be 'sweet' and 'attentive'
The court is now hearing about messages exchanged by Cassie Ventura and Sean "Diddy" Combs during their relationship.
Early on in their 11 years together, they would send "loving" messages, jurors are told.
Combs referred to Ms Ventura as "Babygirl", the court hears, and in one message to her Blackberry from 2009 he says: "I love you so much it makes me cry."
In another email exchange from 2010, Ms Ventura tells him she is going to sleep and that she loves him, and he replies: "I love you so much it consumes my life."
In another message from 2009 she tells him: "I love you so much I can't wait till we don't care anymore."
Asked what she meant by this, she tells the court they were not open about their relationship at this point.
On Tuesday, she told the court Combs was in a relationship with his long-time partner Kim Porter around the time they started dating.
Ms Ventura now tells the court she would travel to see him and that they had long breaks away from each other.
Asked why she wanted to spend so much time with him, she replies: "Because I fell in love with him, he was charismatic, [a] big personality, larger than life."
The beginning of their relationship was "really fast, fast-paced, scary", she says, but the more time she spent with him she saw what she thought was his real personality coming out - "sweet, attentive".
Prosecutors want Cassie questioning to be quick due to her pregnancy
The defence wants to show that Cassie Ventura was a willing participant in her relationship and sexual encounters with Sean Combs, and might have been involved with others.
Before cross-examination proceedings got under way today, defence lawyer Anna Estevao told the judge that a large part of their case would be that there was infidelity on both sides and Combs understood Ms Ventura had other relationships.
Prosecutors said they hope to have Ms Ventura, who is eight months pregnant with her third child, off the stand as soon as possible.
"This witness is very, very pregnant," said lead prosecutor Maurene Comey. "We are afraid she could have the baby over the weekend. We want her off the stand before the weekend."
Cassie tells court she 'knew a version' of Diddy the public didn't
Defence lawyer Anna Estevao points out that Ms Ventura has called the defendant by his first name, Sean, during her time giving evidence so far.
"There were other names like Puff Daddy, Diddy, but you called him Sean," Ms Estevao says. "Yes," is the reply.
Asked if she knew the "real" Sean, and the Sean others didn't see, she again replies "yes" to both questions.
"You knew a version of him the public didn't know?" Ms Estevao says.
"Correct."
The defence lawyer then puts it to Ms Ventura that she knew how special she was to him. This time, she answers "no".
Ms Ventura, who is wearing a light coloured blouse and a coat in court today, agrees that it hurt when Combs lied to her and cheated on her.
Asked if she put up with this for 11 years, she says she didn't for the entire time - but tells the court that, yes, she kept going back to him.
She says she spent a lot of time feeling hurt in the early stages of their relationship and that she fell in love with him quickly.
Cassie returns to the stand
Court is now in session and singer Cassie Ventura, the prosecution's key witness, is back on the stand once again.
Anna Estevao is the defence lawyer asking questions for the defence.
She starts by asking Ms Ventura about her relationship with Sean Combs, which was on and off for about 11 years until 2018.
Ms Estevao asks if she and Combs were in love, to which Ms Ventura replies: "Yes."