Renowned rapper Diddy Combs has been denied bail for the third time by a judge in New York City in sex trafficking case.
According to the US District Judge, Arun Subramanian, the court could not trust Mr Combs if released on bail.
“The Court finds that the government has shown by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community,” the judge wrote in Wednesday’s ruling.
The rapper is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation for prostitution.
Previously two judges also denied Mr Combs’s release from custody, primarily due to concerns about potential witness tampering, deeming it a significant risk if he was freed before trial, which is scheduled for May 2025.
He has entered a plea of not guilty and has also denied more than two dozen sexual assault accusations lodged in a flurry of civil lawsuits.
The judge cited evidence in the case showing Combs’s alleged attempts at witness tampering, his violation of prison regulations while behind bars, and claims he ran a criminal enterprise which included forced labour and kidnapping.
In a recent court filing, the prosecutors accused the rapper of misusing jail communications to influence witnesses in his case and coercing others in his orbit to post online in order to sway public opinion and benefit his defence.
However, defence attorneys for Combs said he should be released so he has adequate time to prepare for his trial next year.
Earlier this month, Judge Subramanian ordered prosecutors in the case to destroy all copies of nearly 20 pages seized during a recent search of the former hip-hop star’s jail cell.
Some of the documents included handwritten notes to his attorneys and thoughts on his legal strategy, court filings show.
Dozens of civil lawsuits have been filed against Diddy accusing him of coercing and abusing both men and women, blackmailing them with video recordings of sexual encounters, threatening witnesses, and in some cases, physically beating them.
But Mr Combs has vehemently denied all the allegations.
