R&B singer Cassie has said “the healing journey is never ending” and asked people to “open your heart to believing victims the first time” after security footage showing her being assaulted by her former partner Sean “Diddy” Combs emerged.
The rapper has apologised and “committed to be a better man” after the video from 2016 was published at the weekend.
"I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now," the music mogul said in a video statement posted Sunday to Instagram and Facebook.
The footage, obtained by US outlet CNN, depicts Combs wearing only a white towel chasing his former partner, real name Casandra Ventura, and kicking her on the ground in a Los Angeles hotel corridor.
The footage also shows the US music mogul dragging Cassie, and appearing to throw a vase in her direction.
In a statement on Instagram, Cassie said: “Thank you for all the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet.
“The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning.
“Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become.
“With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.
“Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to take this matter seriously. My only ask if that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time.
“It take a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in.
“I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don’t cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone.
“This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me, Thank you.”
The video has been dated March 5, 2016 and appears to match a description of an incident at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles in a now-settled lawsuit originally filed by the singer in November.
The court document said: “In or around March 2016, during an FO at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, Mr Combs became extremely intoxicated and punched Ms Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye.”
Cassie claimed she was a victim of rape and violent behaviour during their decade-long relationship in the lawsuit, which was settled a day after it was filed at a New York federal court. Combs still denies all of the wrongdoing alleged by Cassie in the lawsuit, he has only apologised for the incident captured in the newly emerged footage.Combs has been named as a defendant in several sexual abuse lawsuits, and in March his properties in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by federal authorities in a reported sex trafficking investigation. He denies all of the wrongdoing alleged in these suits.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said on Friday the assault captured in the video would be too old to prosecute if it occurred in 2016 due to the statute of limitations.
Cassie and Combs started a relationship after meeting when she was 19 and he was 37.
In a video on Instagram on May 19, he said: “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that.
“I was f***** up – I hit rock bottom – but I make no excuses.
“My behaviour on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.
“I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab.
“I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
