Sean 'Diddy' Combs' prison misery - hospital trip, bad food and birthday blues
The rapper denies a host of serious allegations and will go on trial in May
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' miserable stint in a New York prison continues to go from bad to worse after it emerged he was rushed to hospital in the middle of the night.
The American rap mogul, who is currently housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), Brooklyn, was taken to hospital last Thursday after the recurrence of an old knee injury left him in severe pain, reports the Mirror. It is understood Diddy underwent an MRI scan before being transported back to his cell and it was not a fight or altercation which caused the pain in his knee.
Combs - who performed under many aliases including Diddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, Puff Daddy, and Love - is awaiting trial after being charged with sex trafficking by force, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper is expected to remain in custody until his trial kicks off on May 5.
As well as the criminal charges he is facing following his arrest last September, Combs is being sued by several people who have brought civil actions claiming he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse, including his former girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie. Combs has strongly denied all allegations.
Combs was arrested in Manhattan in September 2024 (Image: Getty Images for Sean Diddy Combs)
Combs, who has three Grammy Awards to his name, spent Christmas and his recent 55th birthday in the notorious jail, which previously housed disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell before she was convicted of sex trafficking offences in 2021. Fellow rappers R Kelly, Fetty Wap, and 6ix9ine have also done time there.
The MDC, which holds around 1,200 inmates, has been described as "hell on earth". In recent years conditions at the jail have been so bad that judges have refused to send people there. Those being detained inside the MDC have complained of violence, severe understaffing and the widespread smuggling of drugs. Inmates have also been subject to frequent lockdowns.
Other inmates have complained about being barred from leaving their cells for visits, calls, showers or exercise. Diddy's attorneys have previously spoken about his time behind bars.
Combs denies sex trafficking by force, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
At a court appearance in December, journalists present said Combs appeared to have lost a significant amount of weight. Law and Crime reporter Elizabeth Millner told Page Six: "He appeared just astonishingly thinner, which you can expect (from him being) inside a federal detention centre for a couple of months now."
Combs was put on suicide watch during his first week in custody, but was removed from it shortly after, with his lawyer stating his client was "focused and very strong." His attorney Marc Agnifilo previously said that food is the "roughest part" about being in prison.
Prosecutors allege that Combs coerced female complainants and male sex workers into participating in drug-fuelled, sometimes days-long sexual performances known as "freak offs".
Combs' legal team said previously: "Mr Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors. He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation."
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