Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of rape and severe physical abuse by ex-girlfriend Cassie | US crime

Sean Combs, the US rapper and record producer, has been accused of rape and abuse in a lawsuit filed by the singer Cassie.

Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, dated Combs for more than a decade. She alleges that over the course of their relationship, Combs assaulted her multiple times, the New York Times first reported on Thursday. She was subjected to “a cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking”, according to the lawsuit, which alleges she was beaten and raped.

She said in a statement to the Times that after “years in silence and darkness”, she was “finally ready to tell my story, and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships”.

A representative for Combs, who has gone by the names Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Diddy and Love, denied the claims, writing that the lawsuit was “riddled with baseless and outrageous lies” and came after Ventura demanded $30m from the mogul.

Combs runs a business empire that includes everything from alcohol to music and has been a major hip-hop figure since founding the label Bad Boy Records in 1993. Ventura was signed to Bad Boy and said she and Combs began dating when she was 19 and that he “lured” her into an “ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle”. He became controlling and abusive, the lawsuit states, often punching, kicking and stomping her.

The now 54-year-old was allegedly prone to “uncontrollable rage” and forced her to “engage in sex acts with male sex workers” that he filmed, according to the lawsuit.

Combs, the lawsuit states, “asserted complete control over Ms Ventura’s personal and professional life, thereby ensuring her inability to escape his hold.”