Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial: Cassie’s friend testifies rapper dangled her from balcony
Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs has been accused of dangling a woman from a balcony in his sex trafficking trial, currently taking place in Manhattan, New York City. Cassie’s friend, Bryana Bongolan, a fashion designer, claimed the incident occurred on the 17th floor of an apartment building in 2016.
Bongolan took the stand on June 4th, alleging Combs turned up at Cassie’s Los Angeles apartment unannounced and proceeded to bang on the door. She said Cassie was asleep in her bedroom then, with Bongolan going to the balcony to “act casual.”
When Combs entered the apartment, he allegedly lifted Bongolan from behind and dangled her over the rail of the balcony. She recalled Combs telling her multiple times, “You know what the fuck you did.” She claimed she didn’t know what he was talking about, testifying, “For a split second I was thinking about if I was going to fall, but for the most part he was yelling at me, so I was trying to answer him.”
Bongolan claims she was over the edge for 10 to 15 seconds before Combs threw her into the furniture on the balcony. Jurors were shown photos of the bruises she allegedly received as a result of Combs’ actions. In them, she was also wearing a neck brace.
“I have nightmares and I have a lot of paranoia and I used to scream a lot in my sleep, but it’s dissipated a little bit,” Bongolan told the court. She claimed her last nightmare was as recent as a few days ago and that her paranoia included carefully opening doors and peeking into rooms before entering them.
Combs’ lawyers claimed Bongolan was a heavy drug user and said she may have been high during the alleged incident, which she denied.
The Bad Boy rapper was arrested in September and faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all five counts and faces up to life in prison if found guilty of the alleged crimes.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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