American rapper Kanye West has appeared in Manhattan federal court to support music mogul Sean Combs, who is charged with human trafficking and organised crime.

West, who officially changed his name to Ye, did not enter the courtroom, but only briefly watched the trial from an adjacent room via video link along with one of Combs' sons, then left. Asked by ABC television if he had come to support Combs, the 48-year-old rapper nodded and replied, “Yes.”

His brief appearance came a day after a former girlfriend of Combs finished her testimony. The woman, under the pseudonym Jane, gave an emotional and detailed account of how he forced her into sex sessions with prostitutes, accompanied by drugs. Her description matched the testimony of another key witness, Combs' longtime girlfriend, Cassandra Ventura, who said those encounters were referred to as “freak-offs.” In her testimony, Jane said that she had traveled to Las Vegas on a famous rapper's private jet and that she had recommended a male escort to that rapper and his girlfriend.

For nearly a month, jurors in Manhattan listened to testimony describing the influence the 55-year-old Combs exerted on employees and ex-girlfriends.

If found guilty on organized crime and human trafficking charges, Combs could receive a life sentence. The music mogul has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys have argued that the actions, which prosecutors define as human trafficking, were consensual.

The trial will continue until at least the end of June. | BGNES