Warning: This story contains painful details

Prosecutors opened the case by accusing hip-hop tycoon Sean Diddy of combs to use fame and violence against women, while the rapper’s attorney defended his “Swinger” lifestyle and rejected claims for sex trafficking.

The 55-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charges, including extortion, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

After Monday's opening statement, the court heard the first witnesses from the prosecutor, including security guards at a hotel that saw Mr Combs in 2016 on the current viral video that beat his ex-girlfriend in 2016.

His testimony was followed by a man who said Mr. Coms abused his ex-girlfriend during paid sex with the couple.

The government and Mr. Coms’ lawyers outlined the case after putting a team of 12 jurors and six alternating group seats on Monday morning.

Prosecutor Emily Johnson accused Mr. Coms of using his celebrity identity and sexually abused women and running a criminal business for the employees’ “loyal” inner circle.

In this case, she focused on two core victims - Mr. Coms' ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura and another ex-girlfriend who wanted to be named.

Prosecutors claimed Mr Combs used violence and threatened Ms. Ventura's music career, forcing her to engage in involuntary, humiliating sexual acts with male prostitutes in the so-called "freak" filmed by Mr Combs.

Ms. Johnson said of Ms. Ventura that the defendant “has the right to destroy her life.”

As the prosecutor described the clear details of the allegations against Mr. Combs, he sat on a gray sweater and pants with blank stares and his hands folded over his legs.

At the heart of the government case is a surveillance video that shows Mr. Combs assaulting Ms. Ventura and dragging her hair in the Los Angeles hotel corridor in 2016.

Mr Combs' lawyers said the video was evidence of Mr Combs' "flawed" role, but not a larger criminal enterprise. "Domestic violence is not sexual trafficking," said Mr Combs' lawyer Teny Geragos.

Ms. Geragos said Mr. Combs' sex life was a little different - and shifted the focus to the women who blamed him, calling them "competent, strong women" who chose to be with the rapper.

Ms. Glagos believes that they have the “freedom to make the choices they make”.

The prosecutor's first witness was a former security guard named Israel Florez, who works in a hotel, the site now in a virus surveillance video, showing Mr. Combs attacking his ex-girlfriend. The clip released by CNN last year served for jurors on Monday.

Mr. Florez told jurors on March 5, 2016 at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles that he received a call about the "women in distress" on the sixth floor.

He said he found Mr. Coms' towel there, lazily spreading the "demon" on his face in the chair, and a broken vase on the floor. Flores said Ms. Ventura's face covered the corner.

Mr Flores told the prosecutor that Ms Ventura had been saying she wanted to leave, but Mr Coms told her she couldn't do it.

He testified that Ms. Ventura had purple eyes but did not want to call the police, and she ended up leaving the black SUV with a seven-foot (2.1m) driver.

Mr. Flores claimed that later, in order to "disappear", Mr. Coms tried to hand him his cash, but he refused.

Mr Combs' lawyers tried to poke holes in Mr Florez's claim, asking him why he did not include certain details - such as Ms. Ventura's purple eyes - in the incident report he filed afterwards.

His testimony was followed by Daniel Phillip, the former manager of the male stripper, who said his boss asked him to be a stripper at the bachelor party and met Mr. Combs and Ms. Ventura.

But Mr. Philip said Ms. Ventura greeted him, telling him it was her birthday and that her husband wanted to give her a gift.

Mr Phillip told the court that he would have had sex with Ms. Ventura several times - an encounter that lasted up to 10 hours, sometimes under the influence of drugs - just as Mr. Combs watched and filmed.

He claimed he had witnessed Mr Combs attacking Ms. Ventura at least twice, including once, dragging his hair with him as he screamed "I'm sorry." Philip said Mr. Combs then returned to the room with Ms. Ventura and asked the two to have sex again in front of him.

"I was shocked," he said. "It's everywhere. I'm scared."

Mr. Philip claimed on the upright that he did not call the police because he was worried that Mr. Coms was “a man with unlimited power” and that he could “lost his life” to report.

The trial is scheduled to continue on Tuesday when Ms. Ventura is expected to testify.

On Monday, in the crowded court building, the child with a comb - including his daughter - was holding hands. His mother was also photographed in court with his public relations staff.