Dad jumps off Disney cruise to save daughter who fell overboard
Dad jumps off Disney cruise to save daughter who fell overboard
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CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Sean 'Diddy' Combs convicted on prostitution counts, but cleared of more serious charges
NEW YORK: Sean "Diddy" Combs was found guilty on Wednesday (Jul 2) of prostitution-related offences, but cleared of more serious charges after a criminal trial in which two of the music mogul's former girlfriends testified that he physically and sexually abused them. Combs was convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking, a partial win for the former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture. After the jury read its verdict, defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo asked Subramanian to release Combs on bail. "This is his first conviction and it's a prostitution offence, and so he should be released on appropriate conditions," Agnifilo said. Combs faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence on each of the two prostitution counts. United States District Judge Arun Subramanian will determine Combs' sentence at a later date. The acquittals on the sex trafficking counts mean he will avoid a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence. He could have faced life in prison if he were convicted on sex trafficking or racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutors say Combs for two decades used his business empire to force two of his romantic partners to take part in drug-fueled, days-long sexual performances sometimes known as "Freak Offs" with male sex workers in hotel rooms while Combs watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed. During raids of Combs' homes, authorities found drugs and 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant that he would use in the performances, prosecutors said. Combs, 55, had pleaded not guilty to all five counts. His lawyers acknowledged that the Bad Boy Records founder, once famed for hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in luxurious locales like the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez, was at times violent in his domestic relationships. But they said the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual. The seven-week trial in Manhattan federal court exposed the inner workings of Combs' business empire and gave the 12-member jury an intimate look into his volatile romantic relationships with the rhythm and blues singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane. Ventura sued Combs in November 2023 for sex trafficking, the first of dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of abuse. Combs, also known throughout his career as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy and once feted for turning artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars, settled with Ventura for US$20 million. He has denied all wrongdoing. At the trial, jurors saw surveillance footage from 2016 showing Combs kicking and dragging Ventura in the hallway of an InterContinental hotel in Los Angeles, where she said she was trying to leave a "Freak Off." Jane later testified that Combs in June 2024 attacked her and directed her to perform oral sex on a male entertainer, even though she told him she did not want to. That alleged attack took place a month after Combs apologised on social media for his 2016 attack of Ventura, footage of which had been broadcast on CNN. According to prosecutors, physical violence was just one way Combs compelled Ventura and Jane to take part in the performances - an act of coercion they say amounts to sex trafficking because the male escorts were paid. Both women testified that he threatened to withhold financial support and to leak sexually explicit images of them if they refused to comply. "The defendant used power, violence and fear to get what he wanted," prosecutor Christy Slavik said in her closing argument on Jun 26. "He doesn't take no for an answer." Combs' defence lawyers argued that while Combs may have committed domestic violence in the context of volatile romantic partnerships, his conduct did not amount to sex trafficking. They argued that Ventura and Jane were strong, independent women who voluntarily took part in the sexual performances because they wanted to please Combs. Both women testified they spent time with Combs and took part in sexual performances after he beat them. Defence lawyers argued that Ventura and Jane were retrospectively accusing Combs of forcing their participation in the performances because they were jealous he was seeing other women. "If he was charged with domestic violence, we wouldn't all be here," Combs' defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in his closing argument on Jun 27. "He did not do the things he's charged with." RACKETEERING CONSPIRACY Besides Ventura and Jane, jurors also heard testimony from Combs' former personal assistants who said their jobs included setting up hotel rooms for "Freak Offs" and buying their boss drugs. An InterContinental security guard testified that Combs, in the presence of his chief of staff, paid him US$100,000 to hand over what he thought was the only copy of the surveillance tape of his attack on Ventura. And Scott Mescudi, the rapper known as Kid Cudi, told jurors Combs was likely involved in an arson on his car after Combs found out he was romantically involved with Ventura. According to prosecutors, those were all acts Combs and his associates undertook in furtherance of a racketeering conspiracy whose aim was, in part, to facilitate his abuse and keep evidence of his wrongdoing under wraps. The defence argued Combs was a successful entrepreneur who used drugs recreationally, but kept his professional and personal lives separate.
Straits Times
12 hours ago
- Straits Times
Super Dad mode activated: Man jumps off Disney cruise ship to save daughter
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Rescuers from the Disney Dream cruise ship pluck a father and his five-year-old daughter out of the sea. It was a fitting Disney ending. A father jumped off a 14-deck cruise ship operated by Disney to save his five-year-old daughter who had fallen over a railing. He managed to swim towards her and, for a couple of minutes, treaded water till rescuers could reach him and his daughter. The incident happened on June 29 on the last leg of a four-day cruise from the Bahamas to Florida. Videos of rescuers on a small boat plucking the man and his daughter from the sea have since gone viral. Many of those who saw the videos praised the father for his act of paternal heroism and self-sacrifice, and the ship's crew for their quick response. 'Superhuman dad strength activated,' said one on the BBC's YouTube channel. Another said the rescuers 'deserve a medal of honour each'. It was not clear how the girl fell overboard, but witnesses said they saw the father taking pictures of her on the fourth deck when it happened. 'There was some kind of commotion,' a passenger who gave her name only as Chandler told People magazine. 'Then this awful scream from what I assume is the mother, and then this massive splash,' she said. 'It sounded like hitting pavement, nothing like if you jump into a pool. It was so loud.' She said she then saw a life vest dropped into the water, and then heard over a loudspeaker: 'MOB (man overboard) port side'. Another passenger, Ms Laura Amador, told CBS News: 'The ship was moving quickly, so quickly. It's crazy how quickly the people became tiny dots in the sea, and then you lost sight of them.' She added: 'The captain slowed the ship and turned it around, and then they deployed a tender (smaller) ship with people on it to go get them, and we saw them rescue the dad and daughter.' Mr Gar Frantz, who was also a passenger on the ship, told NBC News: 'We watched it. You could see two little things... It was crazy. It was horrific.' Mr Eric Pabon, also a passenger, told CBS News: 'It took everybody's breath away, to be honest with you. Very nerve-racking to say the least, but as a father, like I said, I would've done the same thing.' He added: 'It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience I hope I never get to see again.' The 4,000-person capacity Disney Dream cruise ship, was returning to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after sailing for four days around the Bahamas. But how did she fall overboard? Disney confirmed in a statement that two passengers were rescued, but offered few details about what occurred. 'The crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water,' a Disney Cruise Line spokesman said. 'We commend our crew members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes.' The lack of clarity and details had some wondering how much of the accident was, in fact, the father's fault. 'She cannot fall over the railing unless she was lifted up or she climbed up,' said one YouTube viewer. Another viewer was just as direct in blaming the father: 'The daughter only fell overboard because of the father's negligence.' Most, however, were on the father's side, calling him 'hero father', 'brave dad', and 'dad of the decade, right there'. People magazine reported on July 2 that the Broward County Sheriff's Office in Florida was looking into the incident. A statement from the sheriff's office said: 'While there doesn't appear to be anything suspicious, detectives are investigating the circumstances that led up to the child falling overboard.' Said a sheriff's representative: 'This family is so blessed... It's great to be able to respond to good news rather than what could have been a tragic outcome.' While it is rare for passengers to fall from cruise ships, rescues are not often successful when they do. According to a Cruise Lines International Association report from 2019, 25 people fell overboard that year from cruise ships and only nine were saved from the water.
CNA
12 hours ago
- CNA
POV: You dropped out of Sec 3 to raise your daughter
Scroll up for the next video X POV: You dropped out of Sec 3 to raise your daughter
