By Esra Tekin
ISTANBUL (AA) - R&B singer Cassie Ventura, a former girlfriend of rapper Diddy, on Tuesday expressed fear for her safety, saying she relocated her family from New York ahead of the sentencing of Sean "Diddy" Combs.
"I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution towards me and others who spoke up," she wrote in a victim impact statement cited by the BBC.
Her statement was included in the prosecution’s sentencing recommendation for Combs, who was found guilty in July on two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution.
Prosecutors are pushing for an 11-year prison sentence for the disgraced music mogul, while his legal team is requesting just 14 months — a term that, factoring in time already served, could lead to his near-immediate release.
Ventura was the prosecution’s main witness in the case against Combs, testifying over four days.
She alleged that during their 11-year relationship, Combs subjected her to physical and sexual abuse, and forced her to take part in extended, drug-fueled sex parties known as "freak-offs."
In a letter — her first public comment since testifying — she reiterated those claims and described the emotional toll the trial has taken on her, saying it caused her "tremendous emotional pain."
Although the jury found Combs guilty of transporting Ventura and another ex-girlfriend for prostitution, he was acquitted of the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
Ventura wrote that the jury “failed to see” the full truth, and asked the judge to take her fear and suffering into account when deciding his sentence.
"If there is one thing I have learned from this experience, it is that victims and survivors will never be safe," she said.
"Although I can hope for justice and accountability, I have come to not trust anything," she added.
However, Combs' lawyers claimed that he has made moves to change himself, even though they accept that Combs domestically abused Ventura and his other girlfriends.
"He is a humbled man who understands that the most important things in life are his devotion to and quality time with his family and his contributions for the benefit of others," the lawyers wrote in a filing.
In response to this letter, Ventura expressed disbelief over Combs changing, saying: "He has no interest in changing or becoming better. He will always be the same cruel, power-hungry, manipulative man that he is."