Sean Combs – Singer Cassie accused the rap mogul of rape and abuse

Rap artist Sean “Diddy” Combs has been accused of rape and sex trafficking by a female singer.

In a lawsuit seen by the BBC, his ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura said he was trapped for a decade in a cycle of abuse and violence.

Mr Combs – who also goes by the stage name Puff Daddy – denied the allegations, and accused the singer of trying to blackmail him.

His lawyer said the claims were “offensive and outrageous”.

Ms Ventura – an R&B singer and dancer who performs under the stage name Cassie – alleged that the rap producer raped and beat her over a 10-year period starting when she was 19 and he was 37.

“After years of silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story,” she said in a statement on Thursday.

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The lawsuit includes several graphic descriptions of abuse that she says began after she met the rapper in 2005.

According to the complaint, Combs signed him to his record label, Bad Boy, and “plagued Ventura with drugs and alcohol, causing him to spiral into a dangerous addiction that controlled his life.”

The lawsuit calls the musician a “serial domestic abuser, who frequently punched and kicked Ms. Ventura, leaving black eyes, bruises and blood.”

In her statement, Ventura said she was ready to “speak on my own behalf and in the interests of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships.”

In a statement to BBC News, Combs’ lawyers said that Ventura was demanding $30 million (£24 million) “under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship”.

His lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said the demands were “unequivocally rejected and amounted to outright extortion.”

“Ms Ventura has now been forced to file a lawsuit filled with baseless and outrageous lies, aimed at tarnishing Mr Combs’ reputation, and seeking a payout,” he added.

Responding to Brafman, Ventura’s attorney, Doug Wigdor, said Combs had offered him an “eight-figure settlement to silence him and prevent the filing of this lawsuit.”

“She rejected his efforts and decided to give a voice to all the women who were suffering in silence,” he said.

Her lawsuit also alleges that the music mogul told her he planned to “blow up” rapper Kid Cudi’s car. Mr Combs became jealous that Ms Ventura was in a relationship with the rapper, according to the legal action.

He said he told her about his plans during Paris Fashion Week in 2012.

“Mr. Combs told Ms. Ventura that he was going to blow up Kid Cudi’s car,” the complaint states, “and that he wanted to make sure that Kid Cudi was at home with his friends when the incident occurred. Around that time, Kid Cudi’s car exploded in his driveway.”

Kid Cudi’s spokesperson told the New York Times that Ventura’s statement is true.

He released several hits in the 2000s, including songs featuring Diddy.

His most famous songs include Me & U, Long Way to Go and Official Girl, featuring Lil Wayne.