Scuffles and a circus: Behind the scenes at Sean ‘Diddy' Combs trial

News.com.au

7 hours ago

As someone who attended much of the trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, there were many bizarre and shocking aspects to it.
Aspects that made it unlike any trial I had attended – in the US or Australia.
And that included the New York trial of Donald Trump, itself held just a few doors away from Combs' trial.
The future US president's court appearances may have been a circus of Trump supporters and haters outside, but inside all was calm, chiefly due to the tight restrictions of who could get in.
But every day at Diddy was a circus outside and sometimes it fell into a circus inside too. At one point a person – shouting at Combs – was dragged out by security.
For me, the wildest moment was when I had a row with a fellow spectator at the Daniel P Moynihan Federal Courthouse.
It was hectic, it had also been a long time coming but it was also symptomatic of the whole trial.
On Wednesday, Combs was found innocent on two counts of sex trafficking and one count of racketeering.
However, he was found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution. At his October sentencing he could yet get a maximum 20 years in prison.
Everyone knew the trial of the 55-year-old music mogul and singer was going to be huge.
Before it started, the Downtown Manhattan courthouse had been barricaded. Across the street scores of TV media had set up shop.
The queue to get in to the courthouse was excruciatingly long, chiefly because there would be no live streaming of Combs' court case. You were either in the courthouse or you were being told about it second-hand.
Getting in was the same level of security as getting on an international flight.
In fact, even more so, with every piece of electronic gear – from cameras to computers and phones – confiscated.
The trial was old school for journalists: just a pen and a pad.
Each day, minutes before court was due to begin, the Combs family would be escorted in.
All looked immaculate. Combs' mother Janice donned sunglasses and designer garb every day. Her hair, large and luscious, was fabulous. But she, too, had to empty her pockets for security.
One could only wonder if the sunnies helped hide her emotions as witness after witness claimed they were beaten, threatened and, in one instance, raped by her son.
Unless you were directly involved in the case or a family member, getting into the main courtroom was impossible unless you camped overnight to get one of the few spare seats.
But multiple additional 'overflow' courtrooms were opened where big screens showed the action live.
There were journalists from all across the globe. But also a plethora of solo online reporters.
During breaks they would chaotically dash downstairs, retrieve their electronics, and broadcast straight onto TikTok and YouTube to give their hot take on proceedings and answering viewers' questions live.
It could get messy. Outside court, slanging matches and scuffles would sometimes break out between warring TikTokers and YouTubers outside the court. While Combs fans – some wearing 'Free Diddy' T-shirts – would shout about their appreciation of the star, perhaps in the hope he could hear more than 20 stories up.
Coffee with the Combs
The Combs family would stick around the courthouse during the morning and afternoon breaks. Going through security was just too much hassle.
Invariably the designer clad group could be found in the very much not designer courthouse cafeteria where the coffee and snacks were basic but cheap.
While paying, one of the clan reached into a designer pouch for their cash. It looked similar to the pouch witnesses had repeatedly described on the stand as Combs having during his infamous 'freak off' sex parties.
It was incongruous among the tuna sandwiches, Lay's chips and Swiss Miss powdered hot chocolate sachets.
As the weeks wore on, the spectators thinned – the initial excitement waned. There are, after all, only so many times you can hear about Combs' desire for vast amounts of baby oil to be slathered on his lovers.
I was there so long, the security guards began to know who I was. As I passed through they would comment on Australia and how they'd like to go one day but the flight was just too long and besides they didn't like all those spiders.
MTA Lady
Increasing numbers of Diddy supporters were now appearing in the overflow rooms.
The marshalls insisted everyone had to be quiet so everyone could hear the proceedings but some were too excitable or just couldn't help themselves.
One such person was known to others as 'MTA Lady' due to her often turning up to court in full New York City MTA Subway uniform – complete with hat.
It seemed very possible she had just got off driving trains and then went straight to the courthouse.
She treated the overflow courtroom was her living room and the screen relaying the trial was her own personal television.
MTA Lady would regularly rail at the judge, tut at witnesses and chatter to those beside her – whether they liked it or not.
For anyone trying to follow what the witnesses and the lawyers were saying it was infuriating.
One long afternoon, the marshall did not intervene and stop the interruptions. So finally I did.
'We can't hear, can you just shut up?' I told Subway Lady.
This was not the right thing to do. Another spectator turned to me and sighed, berating me for my error.
'She only gets louder when you tell her off'.
Sure enough, MTA Lady was on the war path – target me. I was scolded by here for the temerity of enunciating what everyone else was thinking.
Finally the marshall made told woman she would be out on her ear unless she stopped nattering.
Never before have I had to raise my voice at a fellow court-goer. But as wild as that was, it was little compared to the shocking testimony from a conveyor belt of women on the stand.
Women who said how they initially admired and idolised, loved even, Combs. And yet how in some way they were degraded by him.
Women said they were beaten, CCTV of now ex-girlfriend of Combs being kicked a dragged through a hotel was shown to gasps from the court.
Even Combs' own lawyers admitted he had committed domestic violence – but those were not the charges he was facing.
The courthouse may have been hectic but nothing was as disturbing as what these women said they had been through.