Diddy trial live: Defense to give closing argument after prosecution claims Combs used ‘power, violence and fear’

The defense in Sean “Diddy” Combs’s New York sex trafficking trial will deliver its closing argument on Friday, after which prosecutors will have one last chance to offer a rebuttal.

Prosecutor Christy Slavik presented the government’s closing argument over nearly five hours on Thursday.

Slavik used her time to argue that Combs used “power, violence and fear to get what he wanted” while acting as the “leader of a criminal enterprise” who “doesn’t take no for an answer.”

Over the course of seven weeks, the jury has heard shocking testimony from more than 30 witnesses about the rapper’s sex life and alleged history of abusive behavior. Former partners and employees have taken the stand to give evidence.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors have argued that Combs trafficked women by coercing them into fulfilling his sexual desires, transported male escorts for prostitution purposes, and conspired with a “criminal enterprise” to commit crimes. He has denied all wrongdoing.

Despite the nature of the bombshell testimony, Combs has not taken the stand himself, and no defense witnesses were called.

Legal experts told The Independent that he had “everything to lose and nothing to gain” by testifying.