Dawn Richard has claimed she witnessed Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs ‘punch and choke’ Cassie Ventura a number of occasions throughout their on-off relationship.
The disgraced rapper’s trial started in New York final week – he is facing charges of racketeering, intercourse trafficking and transportation to have interaction in prostitution, and has denied all allegations.
Following Ventura’s testimony, Richard, a former member of Danity Kane – the group the 55-year-old created on Making The Band – took to the stand on Friday.
Speaking to the courtroom, a number of US retailers report that she alleged that she noticed him attack his ex-girlfriend with a skillet filled with eggs in 2009 when he was enraged over his breakfast.
Returning to the witness field earlier as we speak, the 41-year-old advised the jury that she ‘frequently’ witnessed him being violent in direction of the Me & U singer.
‘He would punch her, choke her, drag her, slap her in the mouth,’ she stated. ‘I saw him kick her, punch her in the stomach.’
When discussing what prompted the outbursts, she stated: ‘It could be Cass speaking up for herself. It could be random. We didn’t even know the place it got here from.’
Richard advised the courtroom that Combs turned violent at a dinner attended by report label executives, and allegedly punched Ventura within the abdomen on the restaurant.
She claimed that the former couple had been arguing quietly earlier than the attack, and that he instructed Ventura to go away after she bent over in response to the blow.
The argument reportedly continued within the automobile outdoors the venue, the place his ex was ‘embarrassed’ that the incident had been so public.
Richard stated that he ‘grabbed her by the neck and popped her, slapped her in the mouth,’ and advised her to close up.
The singer, who turned a member of Diddy-Dirty Money with Combs and Kalenna Harper after Danity Kane broke up, additionally claimed that he threatened her and Ventura shortly after the kitchen incident.
‘He said you could go missing, that we could die,’ she alleged. ‘I was shocked but also scared, I couldn’t imagine this is able to be the start of a journey for us [with the group Dirty Money].
Richard got here to fame in 2005 after auditioning for Combs’ MTV collection, Making the Band 3 – she made it into the group alongside Aubrey O’Day, Wanita Woodgett, Shannon Bex and Aundrea Fimbres.
Danity Kane formally disbanded in 2009, after which the singer turned a member of Diddy-Dirty Money, earlier than finally leaving his Bad Boy Records label in 2011.
She filed a lawsuit against Combs in 2024, alleging that he assaulted her, disadvantaged her of meals and sleep, and refused to pay her correctly.
In the paperwork, she claimed that she witnessed the businessman abuse Ventura on a number of events – accusations he has fiercely denied.
Richard’s former bandmate, O’Day, was just lately compelled to squash hypothesis that she was making ready to seem within the courtroom herself – however did name out the choice to have Combs’ children present for the proceedings.
Members of the mogul’s household have been current for the trial, together with his 18-year-old twin daughters Jessie James and D’Lila Star.
They have been within the courtroom to listen to testimony relating to his alleged abuse, in addition to the ‘freak off’ intercourse events and his habits within the bed room.
During an look on the Amy & TJ podcast, O’Day prompt that they shouldn’t be ‘sitting through’ the main points.
‘The fact that the kids are marching up to that court…,’ she advised the hosts. ‘I don’t know any father that may need their kids to take a seat by that testimony.’
The courtroom proceedings are anticipated to go on for a number of weeks – if convicted, Combs may spend the remainder of his life behind bars.
The trial continues.
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