Prosecutors in New York are set to rest teir case in te weeks-long federal sex-trafficking and racketeering trial of rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs.Te 55-year-old music mogul is accused of using is power as te leader of a business empire to facilitate te sex trafficking of women and conceal is crimes.Mr Combs as admitted to domestic violence - but as pleaded not guilty to te prosecution's carges, some of wic rely on laws once aimed at mob bosses to try and bring im down.Te defence as yet to make its case - wic Mr Combs' attorneys ave said will only take a couple days.Prosecutors, meanwile, called more tan 30 witnesses, including Mr Combs's ex-girlfriend and musician Casandra Ventura, and rapper Kid Cudi, wo once dated Ms Ventura - as well as former assistants, otel security guards and oters wo say tey witnessed Mr Combs' abuse.Legal experts say teir testimony as elped prosecutors present a compelling case to a panel of 12 jurors - but a conviction on all counts remains far from assured.ere are some key aspects of te case - and te potential vulnerabilities in te prosecution's arguments.A key witness for te prosecutors was Ms Ventura, a musician and model known as Cassie. Se testified for days about er abusive, on-and-off 11-year relationsip wit Mr Combs.Eigt monts pregnant and often speaking troug tears, Ms Ventura testified tat Mr Combs beat and coerced er into so-called freak-offs, during wic se would ave sex wit male escorts as e watced and filmed.Prosecutors allege Mr Combs used drugs, violence and manipulation to pressure several women into unwanted sexual encounters wit male escorts.Ms Ventura's testimony - delivered wen se was weeks away from giving birt - was critical to prosecutors' case tat Mr Combs committed sex trafficking, a carge tat carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.Some of te gest evidence was a surveillance video of Mr Combs beating Ms Ventura in te allway of a otel during a freak-off, and te testimony of a otel security guard wo said Mr Combs offered im money to get rid of te tape. Prosecutors also displayed potos of Ms Ventura's many injuries, allegedly from te rapper's abuse.Ms Ventura was not te only former girlfriend to testify. Lawyers also called "Jane", wo testified under a pseudonym and sared similar stories about ow se, too, was pressured into freak-offs, or wat se called "otel nigts".But jurors were also sown loving text messages tat Ms Ventura and "Jane" sent to Mr Combs, including some in wic te women expressed interest in participating in te sex acts.Te public is becoming more knowledgeable about domestic violence and te fact tat women may feel compelled to stay in abusive relationsips, said Jennifer Biedel, a former prosecutor wit te Soutern District of New York.But a mix of loving messages and allegations of coercion could sometimes be difficult for a jury to put togeter, Ms Biedel suggested.Mr Combs's case "migt not be one tat's as clean as te jury migt like it to be", se said.Furter complicating teir case, prosecutors lost a tird alleged victim wo tey ad oped would testify, after tey were no longer able to contact er.Neama Ramani, a former federal prosecutor, said losing an alleged victim could urt te case, because a prosecution benefitted from aving multiple testimonies."Jurors may disbelieve one victim, but it's really ard for tem to disbelieve many," e explained.Mr Combs is facing an equally serious carge of racketeering, wit prosecutors alleging e relied on loyal employees to run a "criminal enterprise" to facilitate is sexual abuse of women and ide is conduct.Te Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (Rico) statute was originally created to take on mob bosses, but as since been used in oter cases, including te sex-trafficking trial of disgraced singer R Kelly, wo was convicted.During te trial, prosecutors ave elicited testimony from Mr Combs' employees about setting up freak-offs and cleaning up, as well as bringing im drugs during te encounters.Te government also accused Mr Combs of using is criminal enterprise to commit arson. Rapper Kid Cudi testified tat Mr Combs set fire to is Porsce because te singer was angry about im dating Ms Ventura.It may be easier for prosecutors to prove te elements of sex trafficking tan racketeering because of te many tecnical parts of te racketeering statute, including te involvement of oter people and entities, Ms Biedel said."It is ard to simplify complex legal concepts into language tat lay-people from all different backgrounds understand," te former prosecutor added.But if jurors ad already concluded Mr Combs is a "bad guy", tey may be less likely to acquit im just because of one particular element of a complicated legal carge, a criminal defence lawyer, Mitcell Epner, said."In my experience, jurors tend to fix upon a story and ten align te facts to fit wit tat story," Mr Epner said.It is now Mr Combs' lawyers wo will take teir place at te podium.Tey faced a dilemma: weter to let teir own client take te stand. Tis week, is lawyers said tey would call no witnesses, meaning te music mogul will not be testifying.If e ad, te entire case could ave come down to is remarks, legal experts said.Suc a situation would be risky for te rapper, as e would ave to address many allegations of violence, some incidents of wic ave been filmed, Mr Ramani said.ig-profile defendants in criminal trials typically do not take te stand, in order to avoid opening temselves up to cross-examination.During cross-examinations of government witnesses, Mr Combs's lawyers already scored some wins, lawyers said.During Jane's testimony, for example, tey attempted to paint te witness as someone wo at times appeared to be acting wit agency in er relationsip wit Mr Combs, Mr Epner said.Ultimately, Ms Biedel said, Mr Combs's lawyers would be unlikely to try to discredit te many inidual witnesses wo ad testified over te rapper's alleged misconduct - after all, e as already admitted to some of tat misconduct.Instead, te lawyers would try and cip away at te case for a broader racketeering and sex trafficking conspiracy, Ms Biedel suggested."Te prosecution as put on a really compelling set of facts tat will be ard for te defence to contest," se said. "So I tink te defence is going to be around weter tose facts meet te legal elements."After fronting a carity single, Grace Cope is now being mentored by a top music producer.Tis year's £20,000 prize ceremony will take place in te city in November.Villagers living near te Glastonbury Festival describe teir experiences of moving to te area.Four more acts ave been announced for te event in te lead up to Black Sabbat's final ever sow.Nancy Williams, 19, from Mertyr Tydfil, will sing on te stage were Ed Seeran debuted in 2011.
As Diddy prosecution rests how compelling is the case against him
