SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
WARNING: This article contains graphic detail that may distress some readers.
New York: Cassandra Ventura says her life became dominated by the drug-fuelled sexual encounters organised at the behest of her then boyfriend and record label boss Sean “Diddy” Combs, telling a jury the longest of these sessions, called “freak-offs”, lasted four days.
Cassie Ventura and Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2015.Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Ventura, also known mononymously as Cassie, took the stand for the first time on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) in Combs’ bombshell sex-trafficking and racketeering trial, in which he is accused of coercing women into sexually abusive and violent encounters with the help of his staff.
Heavily pregnant and wearing a tan dress, Ventura, 38, told the jury that after following Combs from New York to Los Angeles as his girlfriend and an artist signed to his label, much of her time was spent recovering from the days-long sex and drug binges that took place in hotels, rather than making music.
In these sessions, which Combs had called “freak-offs” or “wild king nights”, Ventura would typically have sex with a male escort while Combs masturbated and sometimes recorded video, the court heard. Drugs and alcohol were also consumed.
“The freak-offs became a job where there was no space to do anything else but try to recover,” Ventura told the jury. While they would typically last between 36 and 72 hours, “the longest one ever was four days”, she said. “Recovering from partying – that took a big chunk out of my life.”
The prosecution alleges Combs used his business and staff as a criminal enterprise to enable and cover up the transportation and coercion of women for sex, and blackmailed them into remaining silent. The defence, which also delivered its opening statement on Monday, acknowledged Combs had been violent to women and engaged in sexual fantasies, but said they were consensual participants in adult relationships.
In the morning session, the court heard Ventura met Combs in New York City in 2005 when she was a 19-year-old model, and had started recording a few songs. Combs was 17 years her senior and the owner of Bad Boy Records. In early 2006, he signed her on a 10-album deal, only one of which was ever produced.
In those early days, Ventura described Combs as a charismatic and sympathetic figure who looked out for her following “some rough [musical] performances”. They would socialise in similar circles, seeing each other once a month or every other month at New York nightspots.
The relationship began to turn sexual when Combs kissed her in a hotel bathroom during a trip to Las Vegas in August 2007, Ventura said. The trip coincided with her 21st birthday and the Video Music Awards. Ventura described herself at the time as a new and naive young artist “who just didn’t know the lay of the land”.
She said after the trip, Combs would invite her to hang out at hotels in New York while his apartment was being renovated, and introduced her to oral sex. They had intercourse for the first time during a trip to Miami in 2007, where she also voluntarily took ecstasy for the first time.
From then on, Ventura said she became like a “shadow” to Combs, and she felt they had begun a monogamous relationship. Over time, she began to see abusive and controlling behaviour. He was an “incessant caller”, she said, and if she did not return his calls or messages, he would have his security guards and assistants track her down; sometimes showing up to her apartment. She also became aware he was involved with other women.
Ventura followed Combs to Los Angeles, as he wanted to be closer to his children from a previous relationship. She lived separately in apartments typically paid for by Combs, and described having a “stomach in knots moment” when he would sometimes show up unannounced.
Meanwhile, her music career was stagnating. Ventura told the court she recorded hundreds of songs, but a second album never materialised through Combs’ record label. Asked whether she received compensation if an album did not get released, she said: “You don’t. You barely received it when they got released.”
Ventura was due to return to the stand after lunch. The trial continues.
If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.
