Sean | Pakistan

Sean “Diddy” Combs was found guilty on Wednesday of prostitution-related offences by a United States jury but cleared of more serious charges, in a blow to prosecutors who had urged the panel to find him guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. 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. The verdict followed a criminal trial in which two of the music mogul’s former girlfriends testified that he physically and sexually abused them. Combs faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence on each of the two prostitution counts. US 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 of sex trafficking or racketeering conspiracy. After the jury ...

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...