Archive May 15, 2025

Casandra Ventura, the former girlfriend of Sean “Diddy” Combs, is set to receive intense cross-examination from the music mogul’s defense team Thursday in his sex trafficking trial.

Ventura, the singer widely known as Cassie, told jurors over two days that Combs raped, beat and forced her into drug-fueled sex parties over the course of their more than a decade together, excruciating testimony that now subjects her to a grilling from defense lawyers.

Combs’s lawyers indicated they would seek to emphasize that Ventura took drugs of her own free will, and behaved erratically and even violently herself.

While Ventura’s relationship with Combs was complicated and included domestic abuse, the defense said in opening statements, it did not amount to the sex trafficking he is charged with.

“Being a willing participant in your own sex life is not sex trafficking,” said defense lawyer Teny Geragos earlier this week.

Combs, 55, was once one of the most powerful figures in the music industry, but is now incarcerated on charges of sex trafficking and leading an illegal sex ring that enforced its power with crimes including arson, kidnapping and bribery.

Ventura is the case’s star witness: over two days of testimony, the now 38-year-old described Combs as controlling and willing to wield his wealth and influence to fulfill his desires.

She gave vivid accounts of coercive sex parties — she participated in hundreds, she testified — and violent beatings that will underpin much of the prosecution’s case against the music industry figure, who is alleged to have used violence and blackmail to manipulate women over many years.

READ ALSO: Sean Combs’s Ex Cassie Says He Forced Her Into ‘Disgusting’ Sex Ordeals

 ‘Humiliating’

Heavily pregnant with her third child, Ventura told jurors in a measured tone — but sometimes through tears — how she was forced to engaged in “freak-offs” with Combs and male escorts, sometimes engaging in days-long sex performances directed by the music mogul.

She described how in 2018, as she and Combs were breaking up, he raped her in her living room.

And she testified that her time with the artist left her with post traumatic stress disorder, drug addiction and suicidal thoughts.

The drugs were a “buffer” to withstand the “humiliating” and often-filmed sexual encounters, she said.

In a graphic hotel surveillance clip from March 2016 shown to jurors Monday, Tuesday and again Wednesday, Combs is seen brutally beating and dragging Ventura down a hallway.

The prosecution played portions of the footage while Ventura was on the stand.

When asked why she didn’t fight back or get up, Ventura answered simply that curled up on the ground “felt like the safest place to be.”

Following the hotel assault, Ventura was forced to attend the premiere of her movie “The Perfect Match” days later while covered in bruises, the jury heard as they were shown photographs of the actress with Combs at the event.

Ventura said she wore sunglasses to conceal a black eye.

Combs’s defense team insists while some of his behavior was questionable, it did not constitute racketeering and sex trafficking. He denies all counts.

Ventura’s testimony is expected to last at least until the end of the week, and trial proceedings are anticipated to continue well into the summer.

Liam Gallagher has answered fans on social media after they were left disappointed at band manager Alec McKinlay’s apparent reveal that there will be no more new Oasis tunes

Liam Gallagher has hit back at speculation regarding any future Oasis tunes in the way he knows best. The singer, 52, has refused to let other people talk for him – and that includes the iconic band’s manager.

Manager Alec McKinlay had opened up on what it was like working with Liam and his brother Noel as the pair get ready for an epic summer of reunion gigs. However, he had appeared to pour cold water on the idea of new material, much to the disappointment of fans.

However, Liam has had his say, casting doubt over Alec’s claims in brutal fashion.

The singer took to X, formerly known as Twitter to contradict his manager’s input. He boldly said any reveal would come from him or his brother only.

His message came after one follower had claimed the dismissal by Alec didn’t feel “very biblical”. It led to Liam hitting back in typical fashion: “Neither do I and the only people that will be making any kind of decisions on the future of OASIS will be ME n RKID so let’s just take it one day at a time.”

He reaffirmed his stance later on as he answered another fan. They had claimed there “must be a degree of truth” in Alec’s words for him to say it. Liam bluntly labelled Alec the “accountant” for the band.

Last week, fans were adamant they had figured out what the band’s first song will be in their reunion tour. It came after a cryptic teaser post on Instagram ahead of the first concert on July 4.

Although there has been no official announcement yet, sharp-eyed supporters think the recent share on the platform could be a hint to the opener. The band’s official Instagram account shared a visual clue which showed what looked like to be a five-track setlist.

In it, one notably swapped out for ‘Songbird’ from 2002, a crowd-pleaser among the Oasis faithful. The teaser post was captioned: “Less than two months to go. What’s your dream opener?” A post to the r/Oasis subreddit later sparked fan theories as to what this puzzle signifies, sending them into overdrive.

It showed the song list reading Supersonic, Rock and Roll Star, Bring it On Down, Champagne Supernova, and Songbird. However, Songbird had been penned beneath Better Man, which is visibly struck through.

One user pondered: “What are all your thoughts on this? Seems odd, I’d never imagine they’d open with the last two? And why scratch out better man? Cryptic. Interested to hear what you make of it.”

Another fan thought it wasn’t the start of their song list, however, suggesting: “This is 100% one of Noel’s early setlist drafts from the Heathen Chemistry tour that they plucked out of some archive. It’s not current. These are not clues about what will be on the setlist.”

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