
Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs went on trial on sex trafficking charges on Monday, with prosecutors saying the Bad Boy Records founder lured women into romantic relationships, forced them to take part in days of drug-fuelled sex parties and then blackmailed them with videos he recorded of the encounters. Combs “viciously attacked” women when they resisted taking part in the parties, known as ‘freak offs’ or otherwise upset him, prosecutor Emily Johnson said during her opening statement in Manhattan federal court. She told jurors they would hear testimony from victims who said Combs, 55, routinely beat them and exploded with rage at the smallest slights. The case has drawn intense media coverage because of Combs’ fame. “They will tell you about some of the most painful experiences of their lives. The days they spent in hotel rooms, high on drugs, dressed in costumes to perform the defendant’s sexual fantasies,” Johnson said. Defence lawyer Teny Geragos countered that prosecutors were trying to twist Combs’ r...