Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sentenced to over four years in prison for prostitution charges

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been handed a 50-month prison sentence in a New York court on Friday, October 03, after being found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in July.

The 55-year-old rap mogul's 13 months that he has already spent in custody will count towards his four years in jail, meaning that he has three more years in prison still to serve.

Judge Arun Subramanian told the disgraced rapper that it will be "hard time in prison" away from his family but that he will still "have a life afterwards".

Diddy has also been fined $500,000 and the judge paid tribute to the star's former partner Cassie Ventura and "the other brave survivors who came forward".

He said: "We heard you... these horrible acts were made public and Sean Combs will never be able to wash them away.

"I can only say your families are proud of you and your children will be proud of you... You weren't just talking to the jury you were talking to the women who feel powerless - you gave them a voice, you stood up to power, it's not easy."

The judge also told Diddy that there is "light at the end of the tunnel" for both him and his family, even though he acknowledged that the “Can't Nobody Hold Me Down” hitmaker was in a "dark place" at the moment.

Subramanian said: "This is a hard time in prison, away from your family, friends and community, but you will have a life afterward.

"All those letters that I saw, show that you have a universe of people who love you. Let them lift you up now, just like you’ve lifted them up for so many years."

Diddy had described his behaviour as "disgusting, shameful and sick" as he addressed the court before being handed his jail sentence.

He said: "I was sick, sick from the drugs. I was out of control, I needed help and I didn't get the help and I cannot make no excuse because my mother taught me."

Turning to his mother Janice in the gallery, Diddy said: "I failed you as a son, and I’m sorry."

Meanwhile, Ventura's lawyer has said that "nothing can undo the trauma" of Diddy's crimes.

He said in a statement: "While nothing can undo the trauma caused by Combs, the sentence imposed today recognises the impact of the serious offences he committed.

"We are confident that with the support of her family and friends, Ms. Ventura will continue healing knowing that her bravery and fortitude have been an inspiration for so many."

Ventura testified during Diddy's trial in May that she had been forced to participate in so-called "freak offs", and claimed she had endured sexual and physical abuse during their relationship.

She had written a three-page impact statement to Subramanian earlier this week where she stressed that she would be "so scared" of retaliation had the “I'll Be Missing You” artist been allowed to walk free.

The letter - which was obtained by “Rolling Stone” - read: "For four days in May, while nine months pregnant with my son, I testified in front of a packed courtroom about the most traumatic and horrifying chapter in my life.

"I testified that from age 19, Sean Combs used violence, threats, substances, and control over my career to trap me in over a decade of abuse. He groomed me into performing repeated sex acts with hired male sex workers during multi-day ‘freak offs', which occurred nearly weekly.

"I was forced into lingerie and heels, told exactly how to look, and plied with drugs and alcohol so he could control me like a puppet. These events were degrading and disgusting, leaving me with infections, illnesses, and days of physical and emotional exhaustion before he demanded it all again. Sex acts became my full-time job, used as the only way to stay in his good graces."