Sean “Diddy” Combs’s mother has issued a statement defending him against sex trafficking charges and sexual misconduct allegations.
The rapper and music mogul – also known as P Diddy and Puff Daddy – has pleaded not guilty to three felony counts including sex trafficking and is facing allegations of sexual misconduct from 120 new accusers – 25 of whom were children at the time of the alleged offences.
The 54-year-old is currently awaiting a criminal trial having been denied bail at $50m (£37.8m).
Combs’s mother Janice Smalls Combs has released a statement through her attorney, Natlie G. Figgers, which Sky News has seen.
“It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies,” Ms Combs wrote.
“To bear witness what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words,” she continued.
“Like every human being, my son deserves to have his day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence.
“I am not here to portray my son as perfect because he is not. He has made mistakes in his past, as we all have.”
She went on to say he “may not have been entirely truthful about certain things,” referencing the fact he denied being violent towards ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, and settled her lawsuit out of court months before CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking her and throwing her to the floor.
Ms Combs said she believed the federal government used his decision to settle out of court “by interpreting it as an admission of guilt”.
The federal government has charged Combs with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution after arresting him on 16 September.
The indictment alleges Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct” from at least 2008.
