Sean 'Diddy' Combs sentenced to more than four years in prison

Before the judge delivered the 50-month sentence, Combs addressed the court - his first public words since the trial began.

Combs apologised to his victims, specifically naming his two ex-girlfriends, Casandra Ventura, and "Jane", who testified under a pseudonym.

"My actions were disgusting, shameful, and sick," he said. "I got lost in excess, I got lost in my ego."

He went on to apologise to his mother and his children.

"I'm so sorry. They deserved better," he said, referring to his seven children, most of whom were in the courtroom.

Then he begged the judge for a second chance, saying he would never jeopardise time with his family again. "I ask your honour for mercy. I beg your honour for mercy," Combs said.

"I don't have nobody to blame but myself. I know that I've learned my lesson."

In the nearly two-month federal trial in New York City, prosecutors accused Combs of using his celebrity status and sprawling business empire to run a criminal enterprise and sex traffic his former girlfriends.

Prosecutors argued Combs sex trafficked women through "freak-offs", or encounters in which he would pay male escorts to have sex with his girlfriends while he watched and filmed.

The government argued Combs coerced the women into unwanted sexual encounters with drugs and physical violence.

Combs, 55, was found not guilty in July of the most serious charges against him, racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking of his two ex-girlfriends, Ms Ventura and "Jane". He was convicted on two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution.