Three months ago, Sean Diddy Combs fell to his knees in a Manhattan courtroom after a New York jury acquitted him of charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. I'm coming home, he said, turning around to face his family, who had supported him every day of the trial.
On Friday, a subdued version of the hip-hop mogul sat emotionless and still in his chair, as the judge sentenced him to over four years in prison. After Judge Arun Subramanian finished reading his sentence, the rapper turned around to look at his family and appeared to mouth the words: I love you, I'm sorry.
It was a quiet moment to mark the end of a chaotic eight-week trial that forever altered the public's image of Combs - once one of the world's most famous rappers. The jury saw graphic videos of Combs' so-called freak offs - sex parties he had filmed featuring hired male escorts and his ex Cassandra Ventura and Jane, an anonymous victim. They also saw a video, that had previously gone viral, of him beating Ventura in a hotel hallway.
In July, a panel of 12 New Yorkers acquitted Combs, 55, of sex trafficking and racketeering charges - which carried the potential of life in prison - but found him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Prosecutors had accused Combs of running a criminal enterprise to coerce women into unwanted and drug-fuelled sex acts. Although he had been acquitted of those most serious charges, they had asked for a sentence of over eleven years in prison.
Ultimately, Judge Subramanian told a downcast Combs that his crimes and abuse of his ex-girlfriends warranted 50 months in prison. As he told the court that Combs had used his fame and power to subjugate his victims, the music mogul did not look up, remaining expressionless for the judge's 20-minute speech. His entourage of over 30 family members packed the courtroom behind him.
During the all-day hearing, the court listened to hours of speeches from several of his attorneys, his children, a pastor and a criminal justice reform advocate who told the court that Combs was a changed and sober man since detention. They also watched a video compilation from his legal team showing him with his children as well as the funeral of his former girlfriend Kim Porter, the mother of some of his children who died in 2018.
But the court did not hear from the victims themselves, after one person who planned to speak pulled out after the defence wrote a letter calling her a liar. Subramanian called the letter inappropriate, and thanked the strong women for coming forward with the allegations against Combs.
Combs himself addressed the court for the first time since the beginning of his trial, pleading with the judge for mercy. He read with glasses from a piece of paper in front of him, trying to maintain eye contact with the judge as he told him: I have nobody to blame but myself. He broke into tears as he turned around to face his family and tell his mother: I failed you as a son.
Many of Combs' supporters cried as six of his seven children came to the podium to ask the judge for a light sentence, telling him they needed their father. The judge acknowledged the serious nature of Combs' crimes while noting the impact on his family. After the sentencing, Combs quietly exited with his family, continuing to face the repercussions of his past actions.
On Friday, a subdued version of the hip-hop mogul sat emotionless and still in his chair, as the judge sentenced him to over four years in prison. After Judge Arun Subramanian finished reading his sentence, the rapper turned around to look at his family and appeared to mouth the words: I love you, I'm sorry.
It was a quiet moment to mark the end of a chaotic eight-week trial that forever altered the public's image of Combs - once one of the world's most famous rappers. The jury saw graphic videos of Combs' so-called freak offs - sex parties he had filmed featuring hired male escorts and his ex Cassandra Ventura and Jane, an anonymous victim. They also saw a video, that had previously gone viral, of him beating Ventura in a hotel hallway.
In July, a panel of 12 New Yorkers acquitted Combs, 55, of sex trafficking and racketeering charges - which carried the potential of life in prison - but found him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Prosecutors had accused Combs of running a criminal enterprise to coerce women into unwanted and drug-fuelled sex acts. Although he had been acquitted of those most serious charges, they had asked for a sentence of over eleven years in prison.
Ultimately, Judge Subramanian told a downcast Combs that his crimes and abuse of his ex-girlfriends warranted 50 months in prison. As he told the court that Combs had used his fame and power to subjugate his victims, the music mogul did not look up, remaining expressionless for the judge's 20-minute speech. His entourage of over 30 family members packed the courtroom behind him.
During the all-day hearing, the court listened to hours of speeches from several of his attorneys, his children, a pastor and a criminal justice reform advocate who told the court that Combs was a changed and sober man since detention. They also watched a video compilation from his legal team showing him with his children as well as the funeral of his former girlfriend Kim Porter, the mother of some of his children who died in 2018.
But the court did not hear from the victims themselves, after one person who planned to speak pulled out after the defence wrote a letter calling her a liar. Subramanian called the letter inappropriate, and thanked the strong women for coming forward with the allegations against Combs.
Combs himself addressed the court for the first time since the beginning of his trial, pleading with the judge for mercy. He read with glasses from a piece of paper in front of him, trying to maintain eye contact with the judge as he told him: I have nobody to blame but myself. He broke into tears as he turned around to face his family and tell his mother: I failed you as a son.
Many of Combs' supporters cried as six of his seven children came to the podium to ask the judge for a light sentence, telling him they needed their father. The judge acknowledged the serious nature of Combs' crimes while noting the impact on his family. After the sentencing, Combs quietly exited with his family, continuing to face the repercussions of his past actions.
