Dangerous for the community

P. Diddy in custody: Judge refuses bail

Courtroom drawing of the trial(Bild: AP/Elizabeth Williams)

"He poses an extreme danger to our society - he belongs behind bars!" Anyone who thought things couldn't get any worse for Sean "Diddy" Combs after his arrest was proved wrong at the first hearing before the magistrate in New York. 

The prosecution was able to convince Judge Robyn Tarnofsky that the music mogul was the head of a criminal empire and a public danger. The judge then decided not to grant the defense's request for bail. In other words, the 54-year-old must remain in custody until his trial begins. 

50 million bail refused
Combs was led into the courtroom at Manhattan Supreme Court without handcuffs. Instead of his typical designer suit, he wore a black T-shirt and dark gray jogging pants. His legal team offered the court 50 million dollars as security for bail and complained that their celebrity client was being treated "unfairly and unreasonably harshly". This left Tarnofsky cold. She pointed out that she had "very serious concerns" about releasing the defendant because he was suffering from "addiction problems and apparently also uncontrollable outbursts of rage".

Court drawing of the trial(Bild: AP/Elizabeth Williams)

"Serial abuser"
Combs remained calm during the hearing. He didn't even bat an eyelid when prosecutor Emily Johnson dubbed him a "serial abuser" who had tried to "cover up" the investigation into his actions. Even when the judge took away his hope of being released by the start of the trial, the 54-year-old stoically accepted the verdict - with a sip from his Fiji water bottle.

The founder of "The Bad Boy Records" record company was arrested in a New York hotel on Monday. Among other things, he is accused of organized crime, sex slave trade, fraud and forced prostitution.

The background: He allegedly administered drugs to women and forced them to perform "sex sessions" with male prostitutes in front of him for days on end. According to the indictment, he filmed these and satisfied himself in the process.

15-year prison sentence?
If convicted, the multimillionaire faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. For the "sex slave trafficking" charge, he even faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Lawyer wants to prove innocence
Afterwards, Diddy's lawyer Marc Agnifilo announced to the press that he would appeal against the decision not to grant bail: "Mr. Combs is a fighter who is innocent. He is not afraid of the prosecution and wants to prove his innocence."

Referring to the prosecution's star witness, Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, Agnifilo railed, "It was a ten-year relationship. There was no cover-up because there was no crime."

Combs, known under the stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy and Diddy, had risen to become one of the most successful hip-hop musicians in the world in the 1990s. The three-time winner of the US Grammy music award is also a successful music producer and businessman.