May 13, 2025 • 18 mins
The high profile sex trafficking case of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ has begun in court this week, with both the prosecution and defence laying out their arguments. The 55-year-old rapper and producer was arrested and charged in September last year. He was denied bail and has been in custody ever since. In today’s podcast, we’ll explain the context of the case, and run through what we’ve learnt in the first few days of the trial.
Hosts: Zara Seidler and Emma Gillespie
Producer: Elliot Lawry
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Before we jump into today's deep dive, a quick heads
up that we'll be discussing a story that includes themes
of sexual assault and sex trafficking. Please listen with care,
and if it's not for you today, we'll see you
again later this afternoon.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Already, and this is the Daily OS.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
This is the Daily OS.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Oh, now it makes sense.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Good morning, and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Wednesday,
the fourteenth of May. I'm Zara Seidler, I'm Emma Gillespie.
The high profile sex trafficking case of Sean Diddy Combs
has begun in court this week, with both the prosecution
and defense laying out their arguments. The fifty five year
old rapper and producer was arrested and charged in September
(00:47):
last year. He was later denied bail and has been
in custody ever since. In today's podcast, we're going to
explain the context of the case and also run through
what we've learnt in the first few days of the trial.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Zara, it feels a little bit surreal that this trial
is finally here, because we've been talking about this case
for such a long time. It felt like getting to
this day would never happen. But it's all unfolding in
New York as we speak this week. A lot has
been said about this trial and these allegations, particularly in
(01:25):
the media, over the last several months. But I think
it would be helpful to take it right back. Let's
start from the beginning. For anyone who isn't familiar, let's
take it back to basics. Who is Diddy?
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yeah, so Sean Diddy Combs has a bunch of nicknames.
I think it's sort of important to just say that
because he's referred to as a different name by like
ten different media arbots. So you might hear him refer
to as p Diddy, Puffy Diddy. I'm going to just
refer to him as Combs. Yeah, that is his surname now.
He founded bad Boy Records in nineteen ninety three, and
(02:00):
the music label has gone on to represent some of
the world's most famous rappers. People like Notorious Big are
among those who he represented. Combs is a three time
Grammy Award winner. He's worked with people like Mariah Carey,
Mary J. Blige, Usher, and Faith Evans, just to mention
a few. He's also done a bit of acting. He's
(02:21):
starred in films like Monsters Ball, get him to the
Greek and draft day, and I guess I think it's
just important to say right now. The reason why I'm
saying all of these different things that he started in
and things that he's done in his career is not
to rattle off his resume. It's just to show the
extent of his power. He wasn't just a producer, he
(02:42):
wasn't just an actor. He was kind of everything to
the industry exactly.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
He was also an extremely powerful entertainment industry figure, but
also a powerful business figure. He's an entrepreneur, owned many brands,
invested in many labels and brands. So this is someone who,
I suppose, the influence across a range of industries, and
that speaks to the interest in the shock, I suppose.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
And we heard these allegations definitely.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
So when did it all start to shift for Sean Combs?
When did we first hear about these charges?
Speaker 1 (03:16):
So the first allegations to be leveled against Combs were
back in twenty twenty three, and those allegations were made
by his former partner, Cassandra Ventura.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
She's also known as.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Cassie Singer the singer Absolutely, and she accused him of
sexual assault. At the time, her lawyers described the rapper
Combs as a vicious, cruel and controlling man at that time.
Back in twenty twenty three, he denied those allegations, and
a day after the lawsuit was filed.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
The matter was settled out of court.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Then, in May of last year, CNN published footage that
I'm sure a lot of our listeners will have heard
about or seen.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
That footage appeared to show.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Combs kicking and ragging Cassie in a hotel hallway in
twenty sixteen. Now, in a video posted to Instagram later,
he apologized for his quote inexcusable behavior, but he didn't
name Cassie in the statement at the time. And that
clip of what we can see to be Comb's assaulting
(04:18):
Cassie has become quite a focal point of the trials
opening days. So we will go back to that in
a little while, because certainly in opening statements that's been
quite a point of focus. But Cassie wasn't the only
person to file legal action against Sean Cone's so last year,
music producer Rodney Jones he goes by Lil Rod, he
(04:40):
also filed a lawsuit against Comb's He alleged that Combs
spiked the drinks of miners and sex workers at his
homes in California, New York, Florida, and the US Virgin Islands.
When those allegations were made public, Combs denied them, and
then in March, US authorities raided Combs's properties in LA
(05:00):
and Miami as part of an ongoing investigation where they
uncovered firearms, ammunition, and more than a thousand bottles of lubricant.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
So that brings us kind of up to speed before
he was arrested and charged. I think it's interesting the
Cassie story that CCTV footage. While we did get an
apology from Combs at the time that didn't name her,
he didn't specifically accept the allegations or the accusations against
him at that point. So he has maintained his innocence throughout.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Yeah, throughout there haven't been any allegations that comes has
accepted as true.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
So when was he eventually arrested and charged?
Speaker 1 (05:41):
That happened in September last year. At that time, he
was charged with sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, ars and bribery,
and obstruction of justice.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Really serious charge, big charges.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Yeah, and at the time, federal US prosecutors accused him
of using his business empire to cover up decades of
abuse against women to quote fulfill his sexual desires and
protect his reputation. So that was a charge of racketeering,
and that's, as I just said, the idea of using
the resources of a business to cover up a crime.
(06:12):
He was also accused of using his staff to coordinate
and conceal these incidents, and it's alleged that the incidents
were often recorded.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
I remember when these charges were published last year and
we covered it, and there were hundreds of pages of
really extensive court documents. Was so COMPREHENI the indictment was massive.
And while perhaps he had maybe earned a reputation regarding
his relationship with Cassandra Ventura and the allegations around that,
I think what really shocked people or what s gripped
(06:42):
them about this case all of the allegations about how
he used his business, how he used his staff, and
that really caught people off guard.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Absolutely, And I think that goes to the idea or
the allegation rather that there were a lot of people
who knew about these alleged crimes.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
And that it's the accusation is that it was a
very a very extensive network and operation and organized in
a certain way exactly.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
But again we do need to reiterate these are allegations
now are currently being tested in court. But Combs has
maintained his innocence. As I said, he has denied all
of the chargers. He has been in jail this whole time.
So when he was arrested back in September last year,
he was later denied bail, and so this whole time
(07:29):
he's been sitting in jail, and we have only seen
him for the first time during this trial. And interestingly,
he does look quite different from the court reporters. We
get a sense that he has graying hair and a
gray beard. Again, that goes to the time that he
has spent in prison so far.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Yeah, his lawyers have continued to push for him to
be released on bail. But I suppose with the nature
of these charges relating to so many different states across
the US, there has been concern about how to navigate that.
So he has pleaded not guilty. Yeah where obviously in
the very early stages of this high profile trial.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Just can I just jump in there.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
So he's pleaded not guilty, but he was recently offered
a play deal. A plea deal is when a person
pleads guilty to a lesser charge or a modified charge,
often in exchange for a reduced sentence. I guess the
operative term there is that you play guilty. Yes, and
he didn't accept that play deal, so he rejected that
(08:30):
very recently, which is why now the case is on trial,
because had he pled guilty, it wouldn't have gone to trial.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Interesting, Yeah, so we are at that stage. He is
maintaining his innocence, rejects the plea deal. What do we
know about the court proceedings so far?
Speaker 1 (08:46):
I'll talk to a few details on the trial itself first.
So it's being held in Manhattan, as you said, in
New York City.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
It is going to be decided by a jury.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
So there are twelve New Yorkers who will decide the
outcome of this case. It's eight men and four women
on the jury, with the trial expected to last for
about eight weeks. And I know that we speak about
this kind of every time we talk about a high
profile case. But finding a jury that doesn't know or
hasn't read about Sean Combs is a difficult and tall task.
(09:18):
So there's been a lot of back and forth between
the prosecution and the defense about who should.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Make up that jury, but they have settled on that jury. Now.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
We'll be back with the rest of today's deep dive
after this. And interestingly, in a case like this, there
are spare jurors. Basically, there are extra people who have
been selected. If there is misconduct or if someone is
found to have previous knowledge or background knowledge that influences
(09:47):
them unfairly in their decision making process on that jury,
they will get subbed out for someone else, which I
suppose the chances of that happening in a case like
this are much pretty higher.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Yeah, exactly, and just on trial. There are no photos
or video allowed in this trial. And I thought that
was important to mention because I think we've seen not
I think we have seen a lot of high profile
cases play out like live streams. So I think back
to the Johnny Depp and Herd case that basically became
a social media trial that everyone was watching the whole time.
(10:21):
That's not going to happen here because it's not allowed.
So we are relying now on the journos who are
in the room the court reporters to bring us information
and reporting on what's actually happening and what's being said
during that trial.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
That is really interesting information in terms of what's actually
gone down so far. I know we are in the
early stages, but have we heard opening arguments?
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Yeah, we have, so we've heard opening arguments from both sides.
I'll start first with the prosecution's case. So we heard
the opening statement from prosecutor Emily Johnson, and in her
opening statement, she accused Combs of threatening, drugging, and violently
coercing women into sex. I will just say I don't
really want to go into the specific allegations made by
(11:07):
the prosecution because they're quite graphic and disturbing, So I'm
just going to give you like a high level run
through of what we have learned. Broadly, the prosecution is
alleging that Combs had this inner group of people who
helped him cover up the alleged crimes, and that he
used his company resources, as I said earlier, to carry
out some of.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
These alleged crimes.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
She is quoted as saying he sometimes called himself the king,
and he expected to be treated like one. She alleged
he committed crime after crime after crime over twenty years.
We know from the opening statement that the prosecution's case
will also include accounts by three women, including Cassie, who
I mentioned was in that video and is an ex
(11:49):
partner of Combs.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
So we're expecting a group of women to appear in
the witness stand and kind of assume that they will
paint a picture of Combs's character. Uh, what about the
other side, What can we expect from the defense.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
I found this to be really interesting, if I'm honest,
because the defense's case is basically that comes is a
deeply flawed and imperfect man, and they have been very
forthcoming with that fact. Interesting They have said things like
he's a complicated man, but this isn't a complicated case.
(12:27):
Elsewhere they said, the evidence is going to show you
a very flawed individual, but what it will not show
you is a racketeer, a sex trafficker, or someone transporting
for prostitution. So what they're trying to say is, yes,
Sean Colmes is a deeply troubled, flawed man, but that
he's not guilty of the extremely serious charges that are
(12:49):
being leveled against him. So in the opening statement from
Colmes's lawyer, She argued that his relationships were consensual and
that he engaged in a swinger's life style with his
partners that was consensual. She said that the case is
about his quote, private personal sex life, which has nothing
to do with his lawful businesses. So again trying to
(13:11):
separate these allegations around the resourcing by the business of
these alleged crimes.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
It's interesting this approach. I suppose from the defense that
they haven't gone down a path of trying to portray
Combs as a squeaky clean character, and I think that
this shows us probably reading between the lines that consent
will be a really big.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Part definitely of his trial.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Definitely, And again it's only the early days, but there
has been quite a focus on that video that I
referred to earlier. We've had two witnesses so far testify.
They've been called by the prosecution, so not by the defense,
but they have had the opportunity to be cross examined.
The first person to be called as a witness was
(13:59):
an LA police officer who was working as a security
guard at the hotel when that video that I mentioned
took place. He testified that he responded to a distressed
woman on the sixth floor, who we now know to
be Cassie, and that when he got there he found
Combs seated with a quote devilish stare, and that he
saw that Cassie had a black eye on that specific incident.
(14:23):
This witness claims that Comes offered him money and said,
don't tell nobody. And he also said that Combs bought
the footage from the hotel security for about one hundred
thousand dollars, but that copies were made and that's why
it was able to still be leaked and publicly published.
When asked about this video, because as we've kind of
(14:45):
alluded to, it was made public, it was there for
people to see. Combs's lawyers acknowledged that he was responsible
for domestic violence, again going to this argument of he
is responsible for some of the things that are being alleged,
but they denied that this meant that he had committed
any of the other crimes that he was accused.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Okay, and so that includes bribery, trying to pay off
people for their silence, trying to get the video which
we saw through.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
CMX, trafficking, any of that. They're saying, yes, he is
guilty of domestic violence, but no, that doesn't mean that
he is guilty of these other charges. And then the
second witness that was called was someone called Daniel Philip,
and he delivered quite an explicit testimony. He said that
Combs paid him to have sex with Cassie while Combs
(15:33):
watched in a corner. Part of his testimony was that
he alleged that he saw and heard Comb's assault Cassie
on numerous occasions. Again, I'm not going to get into
the details. There's some pretty graphic stuff, but you can
read more of his testimony online. But basically, through his testimony,
the prosecution of trying to build the case of an
(15:55):
extremely violent man in Shawn Combs.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
And those original indictment documents that we touched on earlier,
they do detail a lot more about these allegations of
Combs paying for sex, paying male sex workers to allegedly
rape women that were there under false pretenses, the prosecution
argues in his home. There's plenty more details in those
(16:19):
indictment documents if you want to read them. So Zara,
I think the biggest question, apart from you know, whether
or not he is guilty, is what does the future
look like for Sean Combs If he is found guilty,
what happens.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Basically, he's facing life in prison. As we've kind of
alluded to throughout this podcast, visa the most serious charges
that someone can face, and he is facing a lot
of them all at once. So prosecutors are pushing for
if he is found guilty, life in prison, and that
would be, you know, just a really really remarkable outcome
(16:57):
for someone, as we said at the top of this podcast,
who was until very recently at the top of the
US entertainment industry.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
And he's a fifty five year old man. You know,
we're not talking about historic charges and someone high profile
who is near the end of their life. This is,
for all intents and purposes, healthy middle aged man who
could stand to be behind buzz for several decades.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Super interesting and we'll be sure to bring updates as
the case continues.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
Thank you so much for listening to today's episode. If
it raised any issues with you, help is available through
one eight hundred Respect. You can contact them on one
eight hundred seven three seven seven three two or head
to one eight hundred respect dot org dot au. We
will pop some links in the episode description.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
My name is Lily Madden and I'm a proud Arunda
bunge Lung Calcotin woman from Gadigl country. The Daily oz
acknowledges that this podcast is recorded on the lands of
the Gatighel people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and
torrestrate island and nations. We pay our respects to the
first peoples of these countries, both past and present.
Before we jump into today's deep dive, a quick heads
up that we'll be discussing a story that includes themes
of sexual assault and sex trafficking. Please listen with care,
and if it's not for you today, we'll see you
again later this afternoon.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Already, and this is the Daily OS.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
This is the Daily OS.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Oh, now it makes sense.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Good morning, and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Wednesday,
the fourteenth of May. I'm Zara Seidler, I'm Emma Gillespie.
The high profile sex trafficking case of Sean Diddy Combs
has begun in court this week, with both the prosecution
and defense laying out their arguments. The fifty five year
old rapper and producer was arrested and charged in September
(00:47):
last year. He was later denied bail and has been
in custody ever since. In today's podcast, we're going to
explain the context of the case and also run through
what we've learnt in the first few days of the trial.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Zara, it feels a little bit surreal that this trial
is finally here, because we've been talking about this case
for such a long time. It felt like getting to
this day would never happen. But it's all unfolding in
New York as we speak this week. A lot has
been said about this trial and these allegations, particularly in
(01:25):
the media, over the last several months. But I think
it would be helpful to take it right back. Let's
start from the beginning. For anyone who isn't familiar, let's
take it back to basics. Who is Diddy?
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yeah, so Sean Diddy Combs has a bunch of nicknames.
I think it's sort of important to just say that
because he's referred to as a different name by like
ten different media arbots. So you might hear him refer
to as p Diddy, Puffy Diddy. I'm going to just
refer to him as Combs. Yeah, that is his surname now.
He founded bad Boy Records in nineteen ninety three, and
(02:00):
the music label has gone on to represent some of
the world's most famous rappers. People like Notorious Big are
among those who he represented. Combs is a three time
Grammy Award winner. He's worked with people like Mariah Carey,
Mary J. Blige, Usher, and Faith Evans, just to mention
a few. He's also done a bit of acting. He's
(02:21):
starred in films like Monsters Ball, get him to the
Greek and draft day, and I guess I think it's
just important to say right now. The reason why I'm
saying all of these different things that he started in
and things that he's done in his career is not
to rattle off his resume. It's just to show the
extent of his power. He wasn't just a producer, he
(02:42):
wasn't just an actor. He was kind of everything to
the industry exactly.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
He was also an extremely powerful entertainment industry figure, but
also a powerful business figure. He's an entrepreneur, owned many brands,
invested in many labels and brands. So this is someone who,
I suppose, the influence across a range of industries, and
that speaks to the interest in the shock, I suppose.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
And we heard these allegations definitely.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
So when did it all start to shift for Sean Combs?
When did we first hear about these charges?
Speaker 1 (03:16):
So the first allegations to be leveled against Combs were
back in twenty twenty three, and those allegations were made
by his former partner, Cassandra Ventura.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
She's also known as.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Cassie Singer the singer Absolutely, and she accused him of
sexual assault. At the time, her lawyers described the rapper
Combs as a vicious, cruel and controlling man at that time.
Back in twenty twenty three, he denied those allegations, and
a day after the lawsuit was filed.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
The matter was settled out of court.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Then, in May of last year, CNN published footage that
I'm sure a lot of our listeners will have heard
about or seen.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
That footage appeared to show.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Combs kicking and ragging Cassie in a hotel hallway in
twenty sixteen. Now, in a video posted to Instagram later,
he apologized for his quote inexcusable behavior, but he didn't
name Cassie in the statement at the time. And that
clip of what we can see to be Comb's assaulting
(04:18):
Cassie has become quite a focal point of the trials
opening days. So we will go back to that in
a little while, because certainly in opening statements that's been
quite a point of focus. But Cassie wasn't the only
person to file legal action against Sean Cone's so last year,
music producer Rodney Jones he goes by Lil Rod, he
(04:40):
also filed a lawsuit against Comb's He alleged that Combs
spiked the drinks of miners and sex workers at his
homes in California, New York, Florida, and the US Virgin Islands.
When those allegations were made public, Combs denied them, and
then in March, US authorities raided Combs's properties in LA
(05:00):
and Miami as part of an ongoing investigation where they
uncovered firearms, ammunition, and more than a thousand bottles of lubricant.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
So that brings us kind of up to speed before
he was arrested and charged. I think it's interesting the
Cassie story that CCTV footage. While we did get an
apology from Combs at the time that didn't name her,
he didn't specifically accept the allegations or the accusations against
him at that point. So he has maintained his innocence throughout.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Yeah, throughout there haven't been any allegations that comes has
accepted as true.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
So when was he eventually arrested and charged?
Speaker 1 (05:41):
That happened in September last year. At that time, he
was charged with sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, ars and bribery,
and obstruction of justice.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Really serious charge, big charges.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Yeah, and at the time, federal US prosecutors accused him
of using his business empire to cover up decades of
abuse against women to quote fulfill his sexual desires and
protect his reputation. So that was a charge of racketeering,
and that's, as I just said, the idea of using
the resources of a business to cover up a crime.
(06:12):
He was also accused of using his staff to coordinate
and conceal these incidents, and it's alleged that the incidents
were often recorded.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
I remember when these charges were published last year and
we covered it, and there were hundreds of pages of
really extensive court documents. Was so COMPREHENI the indictment was massive.
And while perhaps he had maybe earned a reputation regarding
his relationship with Cassandra Ventura and the allegations around that,
I think what really shocked people or what s gripped
(06:42):
them about this case all of the allegations about how
he used his business, how he used his staff, and
that really caught people off guard.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Absolutely, And I think that goes to the idea or
the allegation rather that there were a lot of people
who knew about these alleged crimes.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
And that it's the accusation is that it was a
very a very extensive network and operation and organized in
a certain way exactly.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
But again we do need to reiterate these are allegations
now are currently being tested in court. But Combs has
maintained his innocence. As I said, he has denied all
of the chargers. He has been in jail this whole time.
So when he was arrested back in September last year,
he was later denied bail, and so this whole time
(07:29):
he's been sitting in jail, and we have only seen
him for the first time during this trial. And interestingly,
he does look quite different from the court reporters. We
get a sense that he has graying hair and a
gray beard. Again, that goes to the time that he
has spent in prison so far.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Yeah, his lawyers have continued to push for him to
be released on bail. But I suppose with the nature
of these charges relating to so many different states across
the US, there has been concern about how to navigate that.
So he has pleaded not guilty. Yeah where obviously in
the very early stages of this high profile trial.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Just can I just jump in there.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
So he's pleaded not guilty, but he was recently offered
a play deal. A plea deal is when a person
pleads guilty to a lesser charge or a modified charge,
often in exchange for a reduced sentence. I guess the
operative term there is that you play guilty. Yes, and
he didn't accept that play deal, so he rejected that
(08:30):
very recently, which is why now the case is on trial,
because had he pled guilty, it wouldn't have gone to trial.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Interesting, Yeah, so we are at that stage. He is
maintaining his innocence, rejects the plea deal. What do we
know about the court proceedings so far?
Speaker 1 (08:46):
I'll talk to a few details on the trial itself first.
So it's being held in Manhattan, as you said, in
New York City.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
It is going to be decided by a jury.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
So there are twelve New Yorkers who will decide the
outcome of this case. It's eight men and four women
on the jury, with the trial expected to last for
about eight weeks. And I know that we speak about
this kind of every time we talk about a high
profile case. But finding a jury that doesn't know or
hasn't read about Sean Combs is a difficult and tall task.
(09:18):
So there's been a lot of back and forth between
the prosecution and the defense about who should.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Make up that jury, but they have settled on that jury. Now.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
We'll be back with the rest of today's deep dive
after this. And interestingly, in a case like this, there
are spare jurors. Basically, there are extra people who have
been selected. If there is misconduct or if someone is
found to have previous knowledge or background knowledge that influences
(09:47):
them unfairly in their decision making process on that jury,
they will get subbed out for someone else, which I
suppose the chances of that happening in a case like
this are much pretty higher.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Yeah, exactly, and just on trial. There are no photos
or video allowed in this trial. And I thought that
was important to mention because I think we've seen not
I think we have seen a lot of high profile
cases play out like live streams. So I think back
to the Johnny Depp and Herd case that basically became
a social media trial that everyone was watching the whole time.
(10:21):
That's not going to happen here because it's not allowed.
So we are relying now on the journos who are
in the room the court reporters to bring us information
and reporting on what's actually happening and what's being said
during that trial.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
That is really interesting information in terms of what's actually
gone down so far. I know we are in the
early stages, but have we heard opening arguments?
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Yeah, we have, so we've heard opening arguments from both sides.
I'll start first with the prosecution's case. So we heard
the opening statement from prosecutor Emily Johnson, and in her
opening statement, she accused Combs of threatening, drugging, and violently
coercing women into sex. I will just say I don't
really want to go into the specific allegations made by
(11:07):
the prosecution because they're quite graphic and disturbing, So I'm
just going to give you like a high level run
through of what we have learned. Broadly, the prosecution is
alleging that Combs had this inner group of people who
helped him cover up the alleged crimes, and that he
used his company resources, as I said earlier, to carry
out some of.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
These alleged crimes.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
She is quoted as saying he sometimes called himself the king,
and he expected to be treated like one. She alleged
he committed crime after crime after crime over twenty years.
We know from the opening statement that the prosecution's case
will also include accounts by three women, including Cassie, who
I mentioned was in that video and is an ex
(11:49):
partner of Combs.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
So we're expecting a group of women to appear in
the witness stand and kind of assume that they will
paint a picture of Combs's character. Uh, what about the
other side, What can we expect from the defense.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
I found this to be really interesting, if I'm honest,
because the defense's case is basically that comes is a
deeply flawed and imperfect man, and they have been very
forthcoming with that fact. Interesting They have said things like
he's a complicated man, but this isn't a complicated case.
(12:27):
Elsewhere they said, the evidence is going to show you
a very flawed individual, but what it will not show
you is a racketeer, a sex trafficker, or someone transporting
for prostitution. So what they're trying to say is, yes,
Sean Colmes is a deeply troubled, flawed man, but that
he's not guilty of the extremely serious charges that are
(12:49):
being leveled against him. So in the opening statement from
Colmes's lawyer, She argued that his relationships were consensual and
that he engaged in a swinger's life style with his
partners that was consensual. She said that the case is
about his quote, private personal sex life, which has nothing
to do with his lawful businesses. So again trying to
(13:11):
separate these allegations around the resourcing by the business of
these alleged crimes.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
It's interesting this approach. I suppose from the defense that
they haven't gone down a path of trying to portray
Combs as a squeaky clean character, and I think that
this shows us probably reading between the lines that consent
will be a really big.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Part definitely of his trial.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Definitely, And again it's only the early days, but there
has been quite a focus on that video that I
referred to earlier. We've had two witnesses so far testify.
They've been called by the prosecution, so not by the defense,
but they have had the opportunity to be cross examined.
The first person to be called as a witness was
(13:59):
an LA police officer who was working as a security
guard at the hotel when that video that I mentioned
took place. He testified that he responded to a distressed
woman on the sixth floor, who we now know to
be Cassie, and that when he got there he found
Combs seated with a quote devilish stare, and that he
saw that Cassie had a black eye on that specific incident.
(14:23):
This witness claims that Comes offered him money and said,
don't tell nobody. And he also said that Combs bought
the footage from the hotel security for about one hundred
thousand dollars, but that copies were made and that's why
it was able to still be leaked and publicly published.
When asked about this video, because as we've kind of
(14:45):
alluded to, it was made public, it was there for
people to see. Combs's lawyers acknowledged that he was responsible
for domestic violence, again going to this argument of he
is responsible for some of the things that are being alleged,
but they denied that this meant that he had committed
any of the other crimes that he was accused.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Okay, and so that includes bribery, trying to pay off
people for their silence, trying to get the video which
we saw through.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
CMX, trafficking, any of that. They're saying, yes, he is
guilty of domestic violence, but no, that doesn't mean that
he is guilty of these other charges. And then the
second witness that was called was someone called Daniel Philip,
and he delivered quite an explicit testimony. He said that
Combs paid him to have sex with Cassie while Combs
(15:33):
watched in a corner. Part of his testimony was that
he alleged that he saw and heard Comb's assault Cassie
on numerous occasions. Again, I'm not going to get into
the details. There's some pretty graphic stuff, but you can
read more of his testimony online. But basically, through his testimony,
the prosecution of trying to build the case of an
(15:55):
extremely violent man in Shawn Combs.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
And those original indictment documents that we touched on earlier,
they do detail a lot more about these allegations of
Combs paying for sex, paying male sex workers to allegedly
rape women that were there under false pretenses, the prosecution
argues in his home. There's plenty more details in those
(16:19):
indictment documents if you want to read them. So Zara,
I think the biggest question, apart from you know, whether
or not he is guilty, is what does the future
look like for Sean Combs If he is found guilty,
what happens.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Basically, he's facing life in prison. As we've kind of
alluded to throughout this podcast, visa the most serious charges
that someone can face, and he is facing a lot
of them all at once. So prosecutors are pushing for
if he is found guilty, life in prison, and that
would be, you know, just a really really remarkable outcome
(16:57):
for someone, as we said at the top of this podcast,
who was until very recently at the top of the
US entertainment industry.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
And he's a fifty five year old man. You know,
we're not talking about historic charges and someone high profile
who is near the end of their life. This is,
for all intents and purposes, healthy middle aged man who
could stand to be behind buzz for several decades.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Super interesting and we'll be sure to bring updates as
the case continues.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
Thank you so much for listening to today's episode. If
it raised any issues with you, help is available through
one eight hundred Respect. You can contact them on one
eight hundred seven three seven seven three two or head
to one eight hundred respect dot org dot au. We
will pop some links in the episode description.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
My name is Lily Madden and I'm a proud Arunda
bunge Lung Calcotin woman from Gadigl country. The Daily oz
acknowledges that this podcast is recorded on the lands of
the Gatighel people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and
torrestrate island and nations. We pay our respects to the
first peoples of these countries, both past and present.
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