Diddy jury watches hotel video, gets 'freak-off' details as sex-trafficking trial begins

Warning: This communicative contains distressing details

Prosecutors opened their lawsuit by accusing hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs of utilizing fame and unit to sexually maltreatment women, portion the rapper's attorneys defended his "swinger" manner and rejected enactment trafficking claims.

The 55-year-old has pleaded not blameworthy to charges including racketeering, enactment trafficking and proscription to prosecute successful prostitution.

• What is Sean 'Diddy' Combs charged with and however volition his proceedings unfold?

Following opening statements connected Monday, the tribunal heard from prosecutors' archetypal witnesses, including a information defender from a edifice wherever Mr Combs is seen successful a now-viral video beating his ex-girlfriend successful 2016.

His grounds was followed by a antheral who said Mr Combs abused his ex-girlfriend during paid intersexual encounters with the couple.

After seating a sheet of 12 jurors and six alternates connected Monday morning, the authorities and Mr Combs' lawyers outlined their cases.

Prosecutor Emily Johnson accused Mr Combs of utilizing his personage presumption and a "loyal" interior ellipse of employees to sexually maltreatment women and tally a transgression enterprise.

She focused connected the 2 cardinal victims successful the lawsuit - Mr Combs' erstwhile girlfriend, Cassandra Ventura, and different unnamed erstwhile girlfriend.

Prosecutors alleged that Mr Combs utilized unit and threatened Ms Ventura's euphony vocation to unit her to execute nonconsensual, humiliating intersexual acts with antheral prostitutes during alleged "freak-offs" filmed by Mr Combs.

The suspect "had the powerfulness to ruin her life", Ms Johnson said of Ms Ventura.

As prosecutors described the explicit details of the allegations against Mr Combs, helium sat successful a grey sweater and pants with a blank look and his hands folded connected his lap.

At the bosom of the government's lawsuit is simply a surveillance video that shows Mr Combs beating Ms Ventura and dragging her by the hairsbreadth successful a Los Angeles edifice hallway successful 2016.

Lawyers for Mr Combs said the video was grounds of Mr Combs' "flawed" character, but not of a larger transgression enterprise. "Domestic unit is not enactment trafficking," said Teny Geragos, Mr Combs' attorney.

Ms Geragos said Mr Combs has a "bit of a antithetic enactment life" - and shifted the absorption to the women accusing him, calling them "capable, beardown women" who chose to enactment with the rapper.

They had "the state to marque the choices that they made", Ms Geragos argued.

Prosecutors' archetypal witness, a erstwhile information defender named Israel Florez, worked astatine the hotel, the tract of the now-viral surveillance video showing Mr Combs attacking his ex-girlfriend. The clip, which CNN released past year, was played for jurors connected Monday.

Mr Florez told jurors that greeting astatine the InterContinental Hotel successful Los Angeles connected 5 March, 2016, helium received a telephone astir a "woman successful distress" connected the sixth floor.

He said helium recovered Mr Combs determination successful a towel, slouched connected a seat with a "devilish" look connected his face, and a breached vase connected the floor. Ms Ventura sat cowering successful the country with her look covered, Mr Florez said.

Mr Florez told prosecutors that Ms Ventura kept saying she wanted to leave, but Mr Combs told her she could not.

He testified that Ms Ventura had a purple eye, but did not privation to telephone constabulary and she yet near successful a achromatic SUV with a seven-foot (2.1-metres) driver.

Mr Florez alleged that later, to "make it spell away", Mr Combs tried to manus him a wad of cash, but helium declined.

Attorneys for Mr Combs tried to poke holes successful Mr Florez's claims, asking wherefore helium did not see definite details - similar Ms Ventura's purple oculus - successful an incidental study helium filed afterwards.

His grounds was followed by Daniel Phillip, a erstwhile manager of antheral strippers, who said helium met Mr Combs and Ms Ventura aft his brag asked him to capable successful arsenic a stripper for a bachelorette party.

But, Mr Phillip said, helium was greeted astatine a edifice alternatively by Ms Ventura, who told him it was her day and her hubby wanted to springiness her a gift.

Mr Phillip told the tribunal helium would spell connected to person enactment with Ms Ventura connected respective occasions - encounters that lasted arsenic agelong arsenic 10 hours, sometimes nether the power of drugs - arsenic Mr Combs watched and filmed.

He alleged that helium witnessed Mr Combs onslaught Ms Ventura astatine slightest twice, including 1 clip erstwhile helium dragged her by her hairsbreadth arsenic she screamed "I'm sorry". Mr Combs past came backmost successful the country with Ms Ventura and asked the 2 to person enactment again successful beforehand of him, Mr Phillip said.

"I was shocked," helium said. "It came retired of nowhere. I was terrified."

Mr Phillip claimed connected the basal that helium did not telephone the constabulary for fearfulness that Mr Combs was "someone with unlimited power" and that helium could "lose his life" for reporting it.

The proceedings is scheduled to proceed connected Tuesday erstwhile Ms. Ventura is expected to testify.

At the crowded courthouse connected Monday, Combs' children - including his daughters - were seen holding hands. His parent besides was photographed walking retired of tribunal on with his publicist.