NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A judge denied the rapper known as “Diddy” bail on Wednesday, according to a court filing, after he was charged with sex trafficking and racketeering.

Judges had already denied bail twice for the rapper — real name Sean Combs — and prosecutors alleged in opposing the third bid that the rapper and producer has contacted witnesses and used unauthorised communications platforms while incarcerated.

“For the following reasons, Combs’s motion is DENIED — no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community,” federal Judge Arun Subramanian said in an order.

Subramanian also denied Combs’s application to be released from detention in order to prepare his defence.

“Combs has not carried his burden of demonstrating that release from detention is necessary for trial-preparation purposes,” the judge wrote.

Federal prosecutors allege that Combs, 55, sexually abused women and coerced them into drug-fuelled sex parties using threats and violence.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his criminal trial is currently slated to begin on May 5, 2025.

Wednesday’s ruling follows a court appearance by Combs at the end of last week.

Outside the Manhattan courthouse, bystanders shouted at Combs’s mother Janice Combs, “Your son is a predator.” Other family members were seen outside the hearing.

Combs’s lawyers argued that a defendant in another prominent federal sex trafficking case, former Abercrombie Chief Executive Officer Mike Jeffries, received bail which should apply to their client.

“The nature and circumstances of the offenses are substantially different,” prosecutors wrote to the court on Friday.

“There are no allegations that Jeffries committed non-trafficking-related violent acts or that he used firearms during the charged period. The indictment against Combs alleges both.

“With respect to the charged offenses, Jeffries does not include a racketeering offense. By contrast, Combs is charged with leading a racketeering enterprise.”

Prosecutors have previously indicated there is still more evidence to explore and that more charges could be added to the indictment against Combs.

Public allegations have been building against the Grammy winner since late last year, when singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, alleged Combs subjected her to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs as well as a 2018 rape.