Sean Diddy Combs sex trafficking trial live: Male escort’s shock testimony

On the first day of the trial against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, two witnesses revealed explosive testimony regarding the rapper’s treatment of ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.

The mammoth trial against rapper and record producer Sean Combs, known as Diddy, P. Diddy and Puff Daddy, began in New York on Tuesday.

Hundreds of people packed into the Manhattan courthouse to witness the 55-year-old’s trial on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is on trial for charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Picture: AFP

Here are the bombshell moments from the trial so far.

‘I SAW HIM HIT HER’: MALE ESCORT TESTIFIES

One of the men allegedly paid to have sex with Combs’ then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura was 41-year-old Daniel Philip.

Mr Philip testified that he was asked to perform as a stripper at a bachelorette party at the Gramercy Park Hotel in Manhattan but when he arrived, Ms Ventura handed him thousands of dollars and asked if he could rub baby oil on her and give her a massage.

The escort said he and Ms Ventura had sex while Combs sat in a corner and masturbated.

Daniel Philip testifies on the witness stand on the first day of Sean Diddy Combs' trial in Manhattan federal court, Monday, May 12, 2025, in New York. Picture: Elizabeth Williams via AP

Mr Philip said he met with the couple multiple times after that at various hotels in New York, and at both their homes where he would have sex with Ms Ventura while Combs watched and directed them.

“He was always sitting in a corner masturbating,” Mr Philip said of Combs’ involvement.

The escort said on one occasion, Ms Ventura asked him to urinate on her while Combs watched but said he did it wrong.

“Cassie (Ms Ventura) was actually the one that asked me urinate on her,” Mr Philip said. “She asked me if I had ever done that before. She told me to do it.”

Mr Philip said his association with the couple ended because he could no longer become aroused “after the first time I saw him hit her”.

Cassie Ventura and Sean Combs pictured in May 2015 in New York City. Picture: Larry Busacca/Getty Images

He said Combs grabbed Ms Ventura by her hair and dragged her to the bedroom.

“She was screaming,” Mr Philip said. “I could hear what sounded like him slapping her... and him (saying) ‘bitch, when I tell you to come here you come now, not later’.”

‘DEVILISH STARE’: HOTEL SECURITY GUARD ON COMBS

Israel Florez, a security guard at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles and now a police officer, testified that he was in the InterContinental Hotel in Century City during the 2016 assault of Ms Ventura.

“I received a call... saying there’s a woman in distress on the sixth floor,” he said.

When asked by prosecutors who he saw on the floor, he said he observed a man and woman in the elevator lobby.

“Mr Combs – Sean Combs,” he said, before identifying Combs in the courtroom.

First witness Intercontinental Security Officer Israel Florez testifies on the witness stand. Picture: Elizabeth Williams via AP

Combs had a “devilish” look on his face following his alleged brutal caught-on-video beating of Ventura, jurors heard.

“He was on the chair, slouched down and he [had] a blank stare. As soon as I walked out, the best way I can describe it is a devilish stare. He was just looking at me... Looking at me with no movement,” Florez testified.

Cassie looked “scared,” Florez told the jury. “She had her hoodie on. She was pretty much covered up. I couldn’t see her face.”

Combs offered Florez a “stack of money” topped with a $100-bill, telling him to “take care of this.”

Originally published as Sean Diddy Combs sex trafficking trial live: Male escort’s shock testimony