Rhianna Benson
Yesterday marked the first day of what is expected to be a long trial in the case against disgraced rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs.
Just over an hour after he arrived at court in Manhattan, New York on Monday (5 May), where he stands accused of child sex trafficking, it's been reported Diddy made a shock remark.
Claims made by a number of victims allege that Diddy is also guilty of racketeering conspiracy, fraud, coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Houston attorney Tony Buzbee previously told press that the NYC-born star's victims include 60 males and 60 females, 25 of whom were minors at the time of the alleged crimes. One supposed victim claims they were just nine when Diddy sexually abused them.
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An arrest was made in September of last year, before sex trafficking and racketeering charges were indicted by federal prosecutors.
The latter accusation could see Diddy - who has denied all claims made against him - sentenced to between 15 years and life in prison.
According to the New York Post, around 90 minutes into the hotly-debated proceedings - which begins with jury selection - 55-year-old Diddy asked for a break to use the bathroom.
In response to the request, Judge Arun Subramanian reportedly asked the father-of-seven whether it was truly necessary to delay the proceedings, to which Diddy is understood to have responded with a nine-word remark.
"I'm sorry your honour, I’m a little nervous today," the NYP and several other media outlets report the music producer having replied.
During the first day of the long-awaited trial, a number of potential jurors were questioned by prosecutors and judges about answers they gave about the case to a questionnaire last week.
Only those deemed wholly neutral in their perspective would be permitted to serve on the jury.
One possible panelist admitted during her grilling that she'd previously 'liked' a video shared on Instagram, where a well-known comedian poked fun at responding officers having discovered over 1,000 bottles of baby oil at Diddy's property last year.
Following the confession, however, she was permitted to remain in the pool of jurors after insisting she was in a position to judge the case fairly.
Another possible juror was dismissed, however, after revealing that her employer - the publishing firm Simon & Schuster - had plans to release a memoir written by the singer 'AI B. Sure', who was previously married to Diddy's late girlfriend and the mother of three of his children, Kim Porter.
A total of 12 jurors will be chosen in the coming days, along with six alternates, who'll either issue the musician with a guilty or a not guilty ruling.