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Disgraced hip hop mogul has appealed to the judge presiding over his criminal case for mercy, admitting past failings and attributing his behaviour to years of drug abuse. The request came in a four-page letter submitted ahead of his sentencing scheduled for Friday at 15:00 GMT.
Combs, who was convicted in July on two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution, faces up to 20 years in prison. While prosecutors are pressing for a minimum 11-year sentence, his legal team has urged the court to allow his release later this month.
READ MORE: Diddy faces jail term as U.S. judge sets sentencing date after conviction
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Sean "Diddy" Combs
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In his letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, the 54-year-old expressed remorse, writing: “I apologise for all of the hurt and pain that I have caused. I literally lost my mind… 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.”
He admitted to assaulting his former partner, singer Cassie Ventura, and apologised to another woman, identified in court as “Jane”, who testified during the trial. “I lost my way… My downfall was rooted in my selfishness. I have been humbled and broken to my core,” Combs explained, adding that drugs and excess fuelled his decline.
READ MORE: Diddy trial: Diddy found not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering charges
Cassie Ventura, however, rejected his plea for sympathy. In a letter to the judge, she warned: “I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution towards me and others who spoke up. He has no interest in changing or becoming better. He will always be the same cruel, power-hungry, manipulative man that he is.”
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American rapper and entrepreneur Sean Love 'Diddy' Combs
Combs attempted to portray himself as reformed, claiming he is sober for the first time in 25 years. He said he has spent his time in custody mentoring fellow inmates, including teaching a class on business skills. “The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn,” he wrote. He urged the court to consider the impact of his sentence on his seven children and his 84-year-old mother, who recently underwent brain surgery.
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He pleaded for leniency, stating: “I ask for mercy, not only for my sake, but for the sake of my children. I hope to be made an example of what a person can do if afforded a second chance.”
Prosecutors, however, described him as “unrepentant”. In a court filing on 29 September, they argued: “The defendant tries to recast decades of abuse as simply the function of mutually toxic relationships. But there is nothing mutual about a relationship where one person holds all the power and the other ends up bloodied and bruised.”
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Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs are arguing that he should be released from jail and detained at home pretrial.MEGA/GC Images
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A jury had previously acquitted Combs of racketeering and sex trafficking charges, offences that carried potential life sentences, but found him guilty on the prostitution counts. At Friday’s hearing, Combs is expected to address the court directly, supported by four defence lawyers and a 15-minute video presentation, the contents of which remain undisclosed.