In court on Thursday, R&B singer Cassie was asked to read out loud some personal messages she had sent to her former boyfriend, Sean “Diddy” Combs. These messages included texts where she seemed to want the drug-related group sex she had earlier said caused her trauma.

Combs' lawyers tried to show the jury that Cassie willingly took part in his sexual activities. Combs denies the federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. His defense argues that even if he was sometimes violent, his actions didn't add up to a criminal organization.

Prosecutors claim he abused his position as a leading music executive to pressure Cassie and other women into lengthy encounters with sex workers, sometimes lasting for days. These encounters have been described as "freak-offs." Combs maintains that all sexual activity was consensual. He is also accused of using his staff to assist in illegal activities, such as organising transport and forcing involvement in prostitution, a crucial aspect of the federal charges against him.

On the fourth day of the trial in Manhattan, the court heard details of messages exchanged between Combs and Cassie, which were both romantic and shocking. The defense lawyer, Anna Estevao, read messages written by Combs, and Cassie herself read out her own messages describing her desires. Cassie is expected to continue her testimony on Friday.

Combs, 55, has been in prison since September and could face at least 15 years if found guilty.

Although Cassie Ventura has stated she felt pressured to engage in sexual activities to please Combs, Estevao highlighted messages where Cassie seemed enthusiastic about these encounters and even suggested organising one herself.

In August 2009, Combs asked Cassie about arranging their next meeting, and she responded that she was always eager for intimacy. Two days later, Cassie sent a sexually suggestive message, to which he replied with excitement. She then replied, expressing her desire for a passionate encounter.

Later that year, she also sent Combs messages expressing her frustration with their relationship and her need for something beyond just physical intimacy.

Estevao also mentioned text messages from July 2013 where Cassie told Combs she wished they had "done the deed" before he went away, using slang for a sexual encounter.

In a 2017 message, Cassie told Combs she loved their "FOs" when they both agreed. On Thursday, she explained that "loving FOs" was just a phrase she used at the time.

Cassie mentioned that the jurors weren't getting the complete picture of the messages the defense focused on, adding, "We left a lot out."

Combs' lawyer showed Cassie sexually suggestive messages she had sent before their meeting at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. At the hotel, Combs was filmed kicking and pulling her in a corridor. Cassie stated she wanted to quickly finish the encounter to please Combs and prevent problems before a film premiere she was going to a few days later.

Estevao mentioned examples of Cassie's anger towards Combs, along with her own statements about feeling jealous when he paid attention to other women. Cassie claimed that Combs didn't want her to see other people, but he didn't follow the same rules himself.

Cassie stated that after being with Combs for some years, she wanted a deeper connection with him, but he didn't allow it. Their relationship continued from 2007 until 2018.

The questioning wasn't aggressive like you might expect; Estevao spoke kindly, and at times she and Cassie seemed like friends having a conversation.

Cassie, 38, who is heavily pregnant with her third child, has appeared strong while giving evidence. Although she cried a few times during the previous two days of questioning by the lawyers, she mostly stayed calm and factual when talking about very personal issues.

While the messages were read out loud, Combs seemed calm, leaning back with his hands folded. The courtroom was full of his family, friends, journalists, and people supporting Cassie, including her husband.

During the recess, Combs gathered with his lawyers at the table, holding a pack of sticky notes and a pen. He briefly turned towards the observers and greeted a few reporters who were watching him closely, asking, “How you doing?”. Combs' daughters were absent from the courtroom that Thursday.

The jurors followed the messages on their screens with great interest. One woman shook her head at a very direct message. A man stared at the screen, thinking hard. Other jurors seemed curious, some glancing at Cassie or writing notes.

Although prosecutors have highlighted Combs' wish for Cassie to be intimate with other men, she stated that she occasionally observed Combs being intimate with other women, which he reportedly described as a "swinging" lifestyle.

Estevao directly asked Cassie if she believed "freak-offs" were linked to that way of life.

Cassie replied, "In a sexual sense," then added, "They are quite different."

Cassie stated on Tuesday that Combs was fixated on a type of voyeurism where "he controlled everything". These private events often happened in dimly lit hotel rooms, in contrast to Combs' well-known parties attended by famous celebrities.

She stated in her testimony that she occasionally needed IV fluids to recover after these events, and later became addicted to opioids because they helped her "feel numb" afterwards.

Cassie's statements during questioning differed from her earlier accounts, where she detailed the violence and humiliation she experienced during what she described as "hundreds" of sexual encounters with Combs throughout their relationship.

Cassie stated in court on Wednesday that Combs sexually assaulted her after she ended their relationship in 2018. She added that he controlled her through abuse, threatening to share private videos of her.

In 2023, she filed a lawsuit against Combs, alleging years of physical and sexual abuse; the case was quickly settled for $20 million, a sum Cassie revealed publicly for the first time, but since then, many similar lawsuits have been filed by other women, and a law enforcement investigation into Combs has led to this month's trial.