Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Cassie Ventura (AP)
Cassie Ventura, the former girlfriend of Sean “Diddy” Combs, said that “nothing can undo the trauma” he inflicted on her, but welcomed the 50-month prison sentence delivered after a lengthy hearing in Manhattan federal court.“While nothing can undo the trauma caused by Combs, the sentence imposed today recognizes the impact of the serious offenses he committed,” Ventura’s lawyer Doug Wigdor was quoted as saying by the New York Post. “We are confident that with the support of her family and friends, Ventura will continue healing knowing that her bravery and fortitude have been an inspiration to so many,” he added.In the lead-up to Combs’ sentencing, Ventura submitted a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, urging him to weigh her experiences and those of other victims. She described her testimony in court as “the most traumatic and horrifying chapter in my life.”Reflecting on her relationship with Combs, Ventura said she lived “in a constant state of hypervigilance.” “I still have nightmares and flashbacks on a regular, everyday basis, and continue to require psychological care to cope with my past,” she wrote, as cited by ABC News. Ventura also said she fears retaliation from Combs if released, noting she has relocated her family from New York and is living in seclusion out of concern for their safety. Speaking to reporters outside the Manhattan courthouse on Friday, attorney Gloria Allred, who represents several alleged victims of Combs, said the music mogul “has to pay the price for what he did.”“Many of my clients were very concerned that he might walk free by the end of this year, time served and then a couple more months,” Allred said.”And they were very much afraid that he would retaliate against them. And so I think that they will be happy that he will be at least in prison for a number of years,” she added.During the sentencing hearing, Judge Arun Subramanian condemned Combs for his pattern of abuse and praised the courage of the victims who testified.“You abused them physically, emotionally, and psychologically. And you used that abuse to get your way, especially when it came to freak-offs and hotel nights,” Subramanian said. “The defence’s argument that all of this was unrelated to the offense conduct in this case doesn’t hold up.”“So to Ventura, Jane, and the other victims who testified here, for coming forward, I can only say that I know your families are proud of you, and your children, when they are old enough, will be proud of you,” the judge added. Combs was sentenced to four years in prison on prostitution charges, after being acquitted earlier this year of the more serious sex-trafficking counts.Before his sentencing, Combs issued a personal apology to Ventura and to the woman identified at trial as “Jane” for the harm he inflicted. “I literally lost my mind. I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved,” he said of Ventura. “I’m sorry for that and always will be. My domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry.”
