Lawyers for hip-hop star Sean "Diddy" Combs have asked a federal judge in New York to delay his 5 May sex-trafficking trial by two months so they can better prepare a defence.
The lawyers wrote in a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian that prosecutors have been slow to turn over some potential evidence for review, making it difficult to prepare in three weeks.
Prosecutors oppose the request, the lawyers said. A spokesperson for prosecutors declined to comment.
In an order responding to the delayed trial request, Judge Subramanian wrote that he will address the issue during a hearing scheduled for Friday.
Pending the conference, the judge wrote, both sides should proceed as if the early May trial remains in place.
Combs, 55, has been held without bail since his September arrest. He has pleaded not guilty to multiple crimes that prosecutors say occurred over a two-decade period.
In their letter, defence lawyers cited a failure by prosecutors to turn over potential trial evidence in a timely manner, including materials relating to a superseding indictment returned by a grand jury earlier this month.
Some evidence yet to be turned over includes materials related to a count in the indictment that carries a 15-year mandatory minimum prison sentence if a conviction is secured, the lawyers said.
As a result, they wrote: "We cannot, in good conscience, go to trial on the scheduled date."
They added: "This is a problem that the government has created, yet it opposes our reasonable request."
Prosecutors say Combs coerced and abused women for years as he used his "power and prestige" as a music star to enlist a network of associates and employees to help him while he silenced victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.
Source: Press Association
