Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ ex accuses rapper of abuse but tells New York court she still loves him

An ex-girlfriend of Sean “Diddy” Combs who accuses him of kicking, punching and dragging her has testified at his sex trafficking trial that she still loves the hip-hop mogul.

“He was my baby,” said the woman, who is testifying under the pseudonym Jane to protect her privacy.

Asked under cross-examination by defence lawyer Teny Geragos if she still loves Mr Combs, Jane said, “I do”.

The woman said she enjoyed taking care of Mr Combs, bathing him and falling asleep with him while watching television after “hotel nights”, their phrase for drug-fuelled encounters in which she would have sex with male entertainers while Mr Combs watched.

The questioning was part of Mr Combs’ strategy to portray Jane as a willing participant in the sexual encounters with him, not a victim of sex trafficking as prosecutors allege.

She said she agreed to these “hotel nights” while “under a lot of emotional pressure” - and was already hooked on love and a desire to stay in a relationship with Mr Combs.

Jane testified that she partook in the encounters, sometimes grudgingly, because they pleased Mr Combs and she enjoyed spending time alone with him afterward.

Mr Combs, 55, the founder of Bad Boy Records, has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors say Mr Combs used force and threats of cutting off financial support to coerce women into taking part in the encounters, sometimes known as “Freak Offs”.

Over three days under questioning by prosecutors in Manhattan federal court, Jane said that she agreed to have sex with a male escort in front of Mr Combs early in their relationship but that he later dismissed her requests to stop and threatened to stop paying her rent.

On Monday, Jane said Mr Combs kicked, punched and dragged her during an altercation at her Los Angeles home last June.

Later that night, he told her to perform oral sex on a male entertainer even though she said she did not want to, Jane said.

Under questioning on Tuesday, Jane said she researched the terms “cuck” and “cuckold” during her relationship with Mr Combs to try to understand his desires.

The words refer to men who enjoy watching female partners with other men, Jane said.

“I just wanted to know why my partner wanted so many of these nights and what was driving him,” Jane said.

Mr Combs’ defence lawyers are expected to cross-examine Jane until Thursday.

Testimony is in its fifth week. Mr Combs could face life in prison if convicted on all counts.

Also known throughout his career as Puff Daddy and P Diddy, Mr Combs turned artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars, elevating hip-hop in American culture and becoming a billionaire in the process.

with AP.