Mum of Sean 'Diddy' Combs fears son is facing 'public lynching'

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' mum fears her son is facing "a public lynching".

The 54-year-old star is behind bars in New York as he awaits trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges and now his mother Janice Smalls Combs has spoken out in his defence — declaring she's "heartbroken" by the charges and insisting her son deserves the chance to prove his innocence.

In a statement shared with New York Post column PageSix, Janice said: "It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies.

"To bear witness what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words.

"Like every human being, my son deserves to have his day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence."

Combs was arrested last month and has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.

He was denied US$50 million (S$65 million) bail and will remain behind bars until his trial.

After the star's arrest, his lawyer Marc Agnifilo said: "Diddy is an imperfect person but is not a criminal.

"To his credit, Mr Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.

"Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court."

Since being jailed, around 120 alleged victims have forward with sexual assault claims and the star is expected to be hit with a series of lawsuits detailing allegations that span more than 25 years.

A representative for Combs' legal team said: "As Mr Combs' legal team has emphasised, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus.

"That said, 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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