BY: Walker
Published 2 mins ago
Diddy is accusing federal prosecutors of dirty pool … claiming they showed the judge an edited version of the Cassie beating video to make him look more dangerous than he is.
The video – which was published by CNN in May – appears to Combs, wearing only a white towel, punching, kicking, and throwing the R&B singer to ground at a hotel in March 2016.
Federal prosecutors have cited the video as evidence that Combs was sex trafficking Ventura, as well as the danger he could pose to other women if released on bail.
A 2016 video shows Sean "Diddy" Combs assaulting then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in an altercation that matches some allegations in now-settled lawsuit https://t.co/fYUQ2z2MYN
— CNN (@CNN) May 17, 2024
But the music mogul’s defense attorneys hit back Thursday, arguing the prosecution used a ‘manipulated version’ of the footage and ‘invented’ the narrative being told in court, ABC News reported.
The defense said the video did not show a ‘freak off’, a term referring to Combs’ long-rumored sex parties, but instead a domestic dispute in which the rapper ran down the hallway to recover his cellphone and clothing.
Combs’ lawyers argued that ‘more complete footage’ of the incident ‘contradicts’ the prosecution’s allegations and have offered to bring a forensic video analyst to his bail hearing today.
A federal judge has already ruled the prosecution could not use handwritten notes taken from Combs’ jail cell in their argument against granting bail after the defense claimed the documents are trial preparation materials protected by attorney-client privilege.
Combs, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, is accused of coercing and abusing women for years with the aid of a network of associates and employees.
The security footage appears to show Combs attacking Ventura at an InterContinental Hotel in the Century City area of Los Angeles on March 5, 2016.
He appears to chase Ventura – who was his protégé and longtime girlfriend at the time – down a hallway, grab the back of her neck, shove her to the ground and kick her as she lays on the floor.
He then appears to grab Ventura’s sweatshirt, drag her across the floor, and throw a vase in her direction.
Prosecutors claim the video and other evidence it allegedly has against Combs is strong enough to warrant continued pretrial detention.
But the defense claims the footage was ‘manipulated’ and ‘does not accurately depict the events’ that occurred eight years ago.
‘The more complete footage of the incident – in contrast to the government’s sensationalized CNN cut – contradicts the government’s representations,’ defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro wrote in a new court filing obtained by ABC News.
‘[T]he video the government submitted to the Court omits footage corroborating the defense account, changes the sequence of events in material respects, and does not accurately depict the events.’
Combs apologized in May after CNN released the video, saying he ‘hit rock bottom.’ The rapper, in an Instagram reel, said he took ‘full responsibility’ for his actions and his behavior ‘inexcusable.’
‘I was disgusted then, when I did it. I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace,’ he said in the reel.
‘I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.’
Combs, 55, has been detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York since his September arrest.
His lawyers recently made a third request for bail after the rejection of two previous attempts, including a $50million bail proposal.
A judge will hear arguments and make a decision about releasing the rapper on bail today.
Ventura settled a lawsuit against Combs in November 2023, alleging years of sexual abuse and other violence by the music mogul.
via: Daily Mail
