The blockbuster trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, otherwise known as Puffy or P. Diddy, has commenced in New York City. He faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution as well as a slew of civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault, abuse and drugging over a 20-year period. Combs denies all allegations and has pleaded not guilty in court.
On 12 May, the second witness to take to the stand was Daniel Phillip, who was allegedly hired as an escort by Combs to have sex with his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
Who is Daniel Phillip?
Daniel Phillip is an escort and former dancer who was called to testify in court after alleging he was paid to have sex with Ventura on several occasions.
What did Daniel Phillip testify in Diddy's sex trafficking trial?
Phillip claims he was paid up to $6,000 (£4,544) for sex sessions with the couple, which went on for a few years and could last as long as 10 hours. He says these events took place in Manhattan's Gramercy Park Hotel, the Jumeirah Essex House and Combs and Ventura's city residences.
He claims that the first sexual encounter he was hired for took place in 2012 at the Gramercy. Phillip alleged that Combs sat in the corner of the room in a white robe while Phillip and Ventura had sex. Phillip claimed that Combs told him he worked in the import-export business when he was first called, thinking the job was a bachelorette party, but he immediately recognised the famous producer. Phillip alleges that Ventura then handed him 'a few thousand dollars' to rub baby oil on her and give her a massage while Combs masturbated.
During one encounter, Phillip alleges that Combs told the pair 'to slow down... that it was getting hot'. 'One time, he tried getting us to role-play like we just met at an airport. We were not very good at that at all, so I think we skipped passed that one very quickly.'
Earlier in court, prosecutors said that Combs once forced a male escort to urinate in Ventura's mouth. Phillip stated, 'So Cassie was actually the one who asked me to urinate on her. They had just come out of the room, and she had asked me if I had ever done that before, and I said no. She told me to do it, and I apparently I was doing it wrong because they both stopped me and told me I was supposed to let a little out and not take a leak on her.'
He claims before each encounter he was given a code word to tell hotel management so that he could get to Combs' room, which was 'black'. 'I was excited that I was just in this world and be involved with people with such notoriety.'
What did Daniel Phillip allegedly see between Diddy and Cassie?
Phillip told the court that he could not always get an erection and the first time it happened they were at Ventura's home, which is when he alleges he saw Combs beat her. The escort said Ventura was trying to get information from her computer when Combs ordered her to the bedroom and she did not run fast enough. 'Mr. Combs came out of the room, and I just saw a bottle fly past her and hit the wall,' he said. 'It looked like a liquor bottle. He, Mr. Combs, walked over the Cassie. He grabbed her by the hair and started dragging her by the hair into her bedroom.'
'She was yelling, she was screaming,' he continued. 'Mr. Combs pulled her into the bedroom, and I could hear him, could hear what sounded like him slapping her.' He claims Ventura started to apologise.
'I asked her why is she staying with this guy if he's hitting her and beating her like this. I tried to explain to her that she's in real danger if she stays with him. She basically tried to convince me that, "It's okay, I'm okay."'
Did Daniel Phillip tell the police what allegedly happened?
No, Phillip explained that, despite the last two occasions allegedly turning violent, he did not report what happened to the police. 'This was someone with unlimited power,' he told the jury. 'And chances are that even if I did go to the police that I still might be losing my life.'
He claimed he occasionally texted and communicated with Ventura to check she was okay.
What happened to Cassie?
In 2023, Combs' ex-girlfriend of 11 years filed a civil lawsuit against him alleging that he subjected her to a pattern of control and abuse over a decade. At the time, Combs vehemently denied all allegations, but then last May CCTV footage from 2016 was leaked online and showed Combs violently kicking and beating Ventura outside their hotel room. The following day he issued an apology on social media and the case was reportedly settled for an eight-figure sum outside of court.
The trial of Sean Combs continues and is expected to last for eight weeks.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across pop culture, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things TV for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow shows with equal respect).