Diddy accused of 'revenge' rape over Tupac claims

The music mogul is facing multiple claims of rape and sexual assault. (Getty Images)

BBC News, October 16 — Sean "Diddy" Combs has been accused of raping a woman as "payback" for suggesting he was involved in the murder of Tupac Shakur.

In a lawsuit filed in California, Ashley Parham also claims the musician threatened to slash her face with a knife in retaliation for her comments.

Mr Combs has yet to respond to the allegations, but has consistently denied all claims of sexual assault.

He has also previously denied any involvement in the drive-by shooting that killed rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas in 1996.

The murder has never been solved, although former gang member Duane "Keffe D" Davis was charged with murder last year. Mr Davis, whose trial will begin in March 2025, previously claimed that Mr Combs offered him $1m (£769,000) for a hit on Shakur.

In legal papers filed in California on Tuesday, Ms Parham says she landed on Mr Combs' radar after meeting one of his friends at a bar in 2018.

The friend was "attempting to impress" people by making a video call to Mr Combs, but Ms Parham refused to take part because she believed the rapper "had something to do with the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur".

In the lawsuit, she claims Mr Combs overheard her comment and said she would "pay" for it.

About a month later, the friend invited her to his home asking for help with his cancer drugs, and Mr Combs unexpectedly turned up, she claims.

Ms Parham alleges that the rapper then approached her "with a knife and held it to the right side of [her] face and threatened to give her a 'Glasgow smile' in retaliation for her previous statements".

Mr Combs then ripped off her clothes and "violently" raped her with a television remote control, the documents say.

During the ordeal, Mr Combs allegedly told her that her life was in his hands and that, if he so desired, she would never be seen again.

Ms Parham alleges that she was then raped by multiple people, "until eventually she had no control over her body nor could she move her body".

Ms Parham says she eventually tried to escape but was confronted by Mr Combs, who offered her money to say the rape was consensual, she claims.

She ran to neighbours for help, the lawsuit says, as gunshots were fired in her direction. They had already called the police, having heard the disturbance next door.

Ms Parham says she told the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department she had been gang raped by Mr Combs and his associates, but no further action was taken.

She went to hospital three weeks later and staff called local police. However, Ms Parham claims neither of her police reports led to an investigation.

She is suing Mr Combs and six other people for sexual assault and battery, abuse, false imprisonment and kidnapping, and is demanding a trial by jury.

The BBC has contacted his lawyers for comment and is similarly seeking a response from his co-defendants.

Ms Parham's case is the latest in more than a dozen claims of rape, sexual assault and physical abuse that have been filed against Combs in the past year.

Six new cases were lodged in New York on Monday alone, including allegations that he molested a 16-year-old boy at a party in his mansion.

Responding to those cases, lawyers for the star told the BBC that Mr Combs "has never sexually assaulted anyone - adult or minor, man or woman".

They have also described previous lawsuits as a "money grab" and "clear attempts to garner publicity".

Mr Combs is currently being held at a detention centre in New York, as he awaits trial on federal criminal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.

On Tuesday, his lawyers filed a motion requesting the identities of his accusers, in order to prepare for the trial, which is tentatively scheduled to begin on 5 May 2025.

They added that the number of anonymous accusations against Mr Combs have been "irreparably damaging" to his "character and reputation".

"These swirling allegations have created a hysterical media circus that, if left unchecked, will irreparably deprive Mr Combs of a fair trial, if they haven’t already,” the motion concluded.

The music mogul's lawyers have also argued for his release on bail, citing the “horrific” conditions he faces in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center.

However, prosecutors have countered that he poses a risk of witness intimidation.

The musician, who was one of the most influential producers in the 1990s hip-hop scene, is known for solo hits like I'll Be Missing You and his work with Notorious B.I.G. on tracks like Juicy and Mo' Money, Mo' Problems.

He took the unusual step of posting to Instagram from jail on Tuesday, wishing his two-year-old daughter a happy birthday.