Sean 'Diddy' Combs 'threatened to release two sex tapes' of ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, trial hears

The rapper/producer, 55, is charged with an array of crimes including sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

On the ninth day of his trial, Regina Ventura, his ex-girlfriend's mother, took to the stand to give testimony.

She shared an email sent to her by Cassie on 23 December 2011, telling her that Combs was going to "release two explicit sex tapes" of her.

“The threats that have been made to me by Sean Puffy Combs are that he is going to release 2 explicit tapes of me,” the email allegedly read.

Elsewhere in the email exchange, Cassie said Combs was planning on releasing one on Christmas Day and a second soon after.

The message also revealed how Combs warned Cassie he would "have someone hurt her and Scott Mescudi [real name of rapper Kid Cudi] physically".

Cassie wrote: "He made a point that it wouldn't be by his hands... He actually said he would be out of the country when it happened".

'I was physically sick'

When asked what she thought when she saw the email, Ms Ventura: "I was physically sick. I did not understand it. The sex tape threw me, he was trying to hurt my daughter."

The prosecution later asked if Combs asked for $20,000 (£15,000) as Cassie was having a relationship with Mescudi.

Ms Ventura says: "We took a home equity loan and that was the only way we could get the money."

She says Combs was furious about Cassie dating someone else after spending money on her.

Ms Ventura added that her bank account shows they sent the money to the Bad Boy Records account, claiming they took out a loan to pay it "because [he] demanded it".

She also testified that she used a digital camera to take photos of what she referred to as bruises on her daughter’s back, arm and leg.

“She was bruised, and I wanted to memorialize it,” Ms Ventura told the court.

The jury has previously been shown two of the images but saw further pictured of multiple bruises.

Ms Ventura will not undergo cross-examination.

Last week, the trail heard allegations from Cassie that she was raped by Combs when she broke up with him in 2018, after he locked her into a life of physical abuse by threatening to release degrading sexual videos of her.

Jurors at the sex-trafficking trial fell silent last week they were showed images from the alleged "freak-off" sex parties hosted by the singer.

Cassie has told the defence that the so-called “freak-offs” were “an integral part” of her relationship with Combs.

Combs has been jailed since September. He faces at least 15 years in prison if convicted.