Sean "Diddy" Combs has been refused bail a second time as he faces several charges including sex trafficking, drug possession and firearms offences. US district judge Andrew L Carter said the government had proved "by clear and convincing evidence that there is no condition or set of conditions" that will ensure the safety of the community and that the rapper and music mogul will not tamper with witnesses. The 54-year-old pleaded not guilty after he was first arrested by officers at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York, on Monday.
He was originally denied bail and told he would be detained after pleading not guilty to three felony counts during an initial court appearance on Tuesday. Lawyers representing Combs asked a judge on Wednesday to let him await his trial at his luxury home on an island near Miami Beach, as opposed to in jail in Brooklyn. But prosecutors argued against the proposal, saying there was too great a risk that Combs could threaten or harm witnesses.
Combs's lawyers offered a $50m (£37.8m) bail package in exchange for his release to home detention with GPS monitoring and strict limitations on who could visit him. Arguing to keep him behind bars, prosecutor Emily Johnson told the judge that Combs had a long history of intimidating both accusers and witnesses to his alleged abuse.
Ms Johnson cited text messages from women who said Combs forced them into "Freak Offs" and then threatened to leak explicit videos of them engaging in sexual acts. She also s.