DIDDY BEGS FOR MERCY

Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has issued an emotional plea for leniency in a letter to the judge set to hear his criminal trial, admitting his darkest regrets and taking full responsibility for his violent past.

The rap icon, who was found guilty in July on two prostitution charges - which may attract up to 20 years in prison. Federal prosecutors are pushing for a sentence of at least 11 years, arguing that Combs’ wealth and influence enabled his crimes. His legal team, however, is requesting a much lighter sentence of 14 months, noting that the 54-year-old has already served 13 months at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center.

In his four-paged letter , Combs apologized “for all of the hurt and pain that he had caused,” admitting that drug abuse and a reckless lifestyle had fueled his downfall.

“I lost my way,” he wrote. “My downfall was rooted in my selfishness. I have been humbled and broken to my core… there have been days I thought I would be better off dead. The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn. Prison will change you or kill you – I choose to live.”

The Bad Boy Records founder directly addressed the widely circulated footage of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura. “I literally lost my mind,” he admitted. “I’m sorry for that and always will be. My domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry.”

Combs also apologized to another woman , Jane, who also pressed charges against him in court - acknowledging the harm he caused during that period of his life. He admitted he became “lost in the drugs and the excess.”

Beyond his remorse, the rapper described harsh prison conditions - dirty water and zero sunlight, further lamenting that inmates are forced to “eat, sleep, use the toilet, take showers, and prepare meals all in the same room.”

He further admitted the toll incarceration has taken on his family life, noting that he has missed his daughters’ graduations and milestones such as his youngest child learning to walk and talk. “I have failed my children as a father,” he confessed.

On top of the proposed term , the prosecutors are also seeking a $500,000 fine - to compensate for all the damages. Judge Subramanian is expected to deliver the sentence on Friday, a ruling that will decide whether one of hip-hop’s most prominent figures gets the second chance he is asking for.