Spanish
The defense of the American rapper Sean Combs, known as Diddy, will argue during the trial against him for sexual offenses that his relationship with the main victim who will testify in the process was violent “in both directions.”
“There was mutual violence in the relationship. Diddy didn't force her to do anything,” alleged one of his lawyers, Marc Agnifilo, in the federal court of the Southern District of New York, where about thirty journalists gathered today.
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To which the federal judge, Arun Subramanian, asked: "Will your argument be that there was mutual violence?", and Agnifilo answered "correct".
"The government will argue that (Combs) pressured her to carry out sexual activities, but that is not correct. She has been violent and aggressive," reiterated the defense.
Although legal documents and the court do not identify the victims, everything points to this person in question being his ex-partner, the singer Cassie Ventura, who was seen in a video being brutally beaten by Combs in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel.
In today's hearing, prosecutors informed the judge that they will show two videos recorded by security guards of the moment of Combs' alleged assault on Ventura, in addition to three other edited videos from CNN that will be analyzed by an expert before the court.
Meanwhile, Combs' defense insisted on numerous occasions on Ventura's "strong" character, who appears in the legal documents as "Victim 1." "Her personality is important in the trial," he emphasized.
But Subramanian, agreeing with the prosecutors, replied that people with a strong character "can also be pressured", and said that on Monday he would decide whether the lawyers can resort to this argument or not.
Combs, who was arrested last September and remains in a Brooklyn prison without the possibility of bail, is charged with five counts: one of conspiracy to extort; two of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and two others of pimping.
If found guilty of all charges, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The 55-year-old rapper and businessman appeared in court today wearing the same outfit as on Wednesday (a black sweater with a white shirt underneath), and upon entering, shook hands with his legal team and greeted the audience, filled only with journalists, with his hand over his heart.
It was planned that today the judge would choose the 12 main jurors and six alternates after a process in which the prosecutors and the defense dismiss several of the pre-selected candidates.
However, Subramanian ended up postponing that jury selection until next Monday at 9:00 a.m. local time (13:00 GMT), and set the start of the opening arguments for 9:30 a.m. that same day.
