'I love you, I'm sorry': The actions Sean 'Diddy' Combs undertook the moment he discovered his sentence.
Courtroom sketch
Three months ago, Sean "Diddy" Combs knelt down in a Manhattan courtroom after a jury acquitted him of allegations of trafficking and organized crime.
"I'm going back home," he stated, turning around to face his family, who had stood by him daily the court case.
On Friday, a quieter iteration of the rap magnate sat emotionless and still in his chair, as the judge sentenced him to in excess of 48 months in incarceration.
Following the judicial pronouncement of his judgment, the music artist turned around to look at his family and appeared to mouth the words: "I love you, I'm sorry."
The occasion represented a hushed period to signify the conclusion of a chaotic eight-week trial that permanently changed the general view of Combs - previously among the globe's most renowned hip-hop artists.
Courtroom Displays
The panel viewed disturbing recordings of Combs' so-called "freak offs" - intimate gatherings he recorded featuring hired male escorts and his ex Cassandra Ventura and "Jane", an anonymous victim.
Furthermore they witnessed a footage that had previously circulated widely, of him assaulting Ventura in a lodging establishment corridor.
Court Decisions
Back in July, a group of twelve local residents acquitted Combs, 55, of sex trafficking and racketeering charges - which carried the potential of life in prison - but determined him responsible for facilitating travel for sex work.
- What crimes was Sean 'Diddy' Combs determined responsible for?
- 'I lost my direction' - Diddy pleads for mercy before sentencing
- How much time could Diddy spend in prison?
Family members arriving for sentencing
This past Friday, Judge Subramanian told a downcast Combs that his crimes and abuse of his ex-girlfriends warranted 50 months in prison.
While informing the court that Combs had used his fame and power to "dominate" his accusers, the industry magnate remained looking downward, remaining expressionless for the magistrate's twenty-minute address.
His contingent of more than three dozen loved ones were crowded into the court chamber supporting him.
Judicial Contentions
His lawyers anticipated he would be free from detention in a short period, asking the court for a one-year-and-two-month judgment, 13 of which he had already served.
State attorneys had charged Combs of operating an illegal organization to pressure women toward undesired and chemically-induced intimate encounters.
Despite being found not guilty of those gravest allegations, trafficking and organized crime, they had requested a term of in excess of a decade in detention.
Legal Hearings
During the all-day hearing, the tribunal heard extended addresses from multiple legal representatives, his children, a religious leader and a legal system improvement proponent who told the court that Combs was a transformed and clean individual since detention.
Furthermore they observed a edited footage from his legal team depicting him alongside his offspring as well as the funeral of his former girlfriend Kim Porter, the parent of several offspring who passed away in 2018.
Accuser Aftermath
But the court did not hear from the accusers personally, following an individual who intended to address the court, Mia, a past aide to Combs who testified anonymously, retracted subsequent to the attorneys prepared a correspondence labeling her dishonest.
The judge expressed gratitude to the "courageous females" who had the fortitude to emerge with the allegations against Combs, telling them they weren't "just speaking 12 men and women in the jury box".
In lieu of their own statements on Friday, the magistrate shared numerous accuser statements from court statements, telling Combs: "These were grave crimes that unfixably injured two women."
Combs' Address
The accused directly presented to the judicial body primarily following the commencement of his case.
Exhaling deeply before standing to read his speech, he implored the court for "leniency".
He reviewed utilizing eyewear from a piece of paper in front of him, trying to maintain eye contact with the magistrate while informing him: "I have only myself to hold responsible."
He began crying as he rotated to look at his relatives and inform his maternal parent: "I let you down as an offspring."
Family Testimony
It was not the first time tears were shed during the hearing.
Many of Combs' supporters wept while six offspring came to the podium to ask the judge for a light sentence, telling him they needed their father.
The trio of daughters and trio of sons huddled together with their arms wrapped around each other as several of them cried while speaking the court official.
Sentencing Rationale
The judge said during his sentencing that he had factored in Combs' familial connections, but stated he must also consider the harm he had inflicted to his duo of accusers.
The crimes were serious, he added, observing they occurred despite a government inquiry and the disclosure of recording featuring him striking Ventura in the corridor of lodging establishment.
"A background of beneficial actions cannot erase your record," he stated.
Final Words
However, he informed a distressed Combs, who multiple times lifted his head and breathed deeply, there was light at the end of his jail sentence.
"Sir Combs, yourself and your relatives, you are going to overcome this," he affirmed.
After the magistrate completed his address, Combs offered a brief acknowledgment to his dozens of family members and friends, before slipping quietly back through the door to be transported to a national correctional institution in the Brooklyn area.