Vanessa Tobias is an investigative journalist focusing on feminist issues
Sean “P. Diddy” Combs was acquitted yesterday of the most severe criminal charges against him: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking of Cassie Ventura, and sex trafficking of “Jane.” Women across the world took a collective ovary punch from a system that sells their pain as content, silences them with blame, and rewards their abusers with more power, especially when those abusers are men. Powerful, wealthy, celebrated men. No woman was surprised. We’ve seen this story before. Different names, same fucking ending.
Combs and his supporters ran the same tired play from the Patriarchy’s Greatest Hits: deny, deflect, discredit the victims, and let the “Rich and Powerful Men Protection Program” do the rest. The charges that could’ve put him behind bars for life? Gone. With that acquittal, survivors get another harsh reminder: abuse isn’t disqualifying. It’s barely inconvenient. If history’s any indication, he won’t just walk away. He might march straight into the White House.
To understand the jury’s reasoning, the panel found insufficient evidence to support the claim that Combs ran a criminal enterprise. He was only convicted of two lesser charges: transporting individuals for prostitution. He remains in custody without bail, with sentencing set for October 3. Experts predict 2 to 5 years. Two to five years for horrific, dehumanising abuse. Abuse that was live-streamed to our phones and repurposed as entertainment for the manosphere? In today’s world, that tracks.
In response to the verdict, many celebrities have spoken out in disgust over the trial’s outcome. Actor Mariska Hargitay reshared a slide from Glamour magazine that reads,
“Combs joins a long line of powerful and famous men who have allegedly engaged in abuse, yet faced minimal consequences.”
Actor Evan Rachel Wood, who alleged in 2021 that her ex-partner Marilyn Manson “horrifically abused her for years,” released a statement that said, “There is no consequence in a domestic violence relationship. Period. Once the threat of violence is there, you comply. It is self-preservation and survival. It is not freely or willingly given. It is forced and coerced out of you. We clearly have a long way to go in our understanding of this.”
Talk show host and comedian Rosie O’donnell said, “I guess a jury just never wants to believe a woman stays because of power and coercion – wow – they just think women stay because what? Money – fame – they love the abuse – what a f–king joke – that decision got me angry”.
Female celebrities such as Kesha, Audrey O’day, and Christina Ricci publicly supported Cassie Ventura. Most public condemnations of the verdict have come from women.
Image – Actors Evan Rachel Wood, Mariska Hargitay and Rosie O’Donnell all spoke out about the P Diddy verdict
Despite his acquittals, Combs faces more than 50 additional civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct, which continue to affect his reputation and business interests. Women worldwide do not expect any of these actions to result in meaningful consequences. Why would we? This is no outlier. It is the standard.
For decades, more than sixty women accused Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct. Their stories painted a pattern of abuse stretching back generations. Today, the comedian is a free man. Convicted in 2018 of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, Cosby was sentenced to up to ten years in prison. But just three years later, the conviction was overturned on a procedural technicality. He walked out of prison not exonerated, but released.
Bill Cosby Image Credit – Photograph by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / AFP / Getty
Civil lawsuits still follow him, including a high-profile case in Nevada, and his financial troubles persist. For many of his accusers, the damage is done: a man they say stole their dignity, avoids any lasting consequences, once again.
Civil lawsuits still follow him, including a high-profile case in Nevada, and his financial troubles continue to mount. For many of his accusers, the damage is done: a man they say stole their dignity, avoids any lasting consequences, once again.
The pattern continues with other high-profile figures. Don’t get us started on Donald Trump. At least 25 women have alleged sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to rape. Two civil juries have already held him liable—awarding writer E. Jean Carroll $5 million in 2023 and another $83.3 million in 2024. Both verdicts are now pending appeal.
Trump’s only criminal conviction so far? Thirty-four felony counts for falsifying business records in the “hush-money” case, no prison time. No fines. No practical penalties. It must be a real hoot to receive unconditional discharge under the umbrella of presidential immunity.
Image Credit – (AP: Carolyn Kaster)
Meanwhile, his name remains associated with a string of other legal battles. New York fraud judgments. Election interference. The handling of classified documents. Yet despite the weight of these allegations and cases, Trump remains not only free. He is seated at the helm of what is often called the most powerful nation in the free world.
Australia is not immune to this pattern. The country has its own roster of prominent individuals who have faced sexual assault charges without conviction. NRL star Jarryd Hayne, once hailed as a sporting icon, had rape charges against him dropped by prosecutors in 2024. Actor Craig McLachlan, who faced allegations of indecent assault dating back to 2014, was acquitted in 2020. AFL great Carl Ditterich was set to stand trial for allegedly assaulting a teenage girl in the 1980s until prosecutors withdrew the case earlier this year.
Former Socceroo Ruon Tongyik was acquitted of aggravated sexual assault in 2025. Broadcaster Alan Jones, once one of the most influential figures in Australian media, now faces multiple historical sex offence charges. He has pleaded not guilty, and the proceedings continue.
From Hollywood to Washington, and from the NRL to the AFL, a clear pattern emerges: allegations surface, trials play out, reputations take hits, but prison cells stay empty. For survivors, the message is bitterly familiar: power, fame, and influence have a way of tilting the scales of justice.
Australian sexual assault conviction rates range from 1.5% to under 10%. These cases are difficult to prove as most assaults happen in private with little evidence, and survivors face intense scrutiny, discouraging reports, and this can lead to case collapse.
Low conviction rates aren’t only about evidentiary challenges. Victim-blaming is deeply entrenched in both public attitudes and the legal process, with survivors routinely questioned about their behaviour, clothing, or alcohol consumption. Misogyny and patriarchal power structures reinforce these narratives, protecting men. Particularly those with status or influence, while undermining women’s credibility. In many cases, the courtroom itself becomes a stage where the survivor, not the accused, is effectively on trial.
Australia, the US, the UK, and Canada all see low sexual assault convictions. Survivors encounter similar obstacles. Most assaults are private, with little evidence and significant victim-blaming, resulting in few perpetrators facing justice.
Credit : Bryan Steffy/WireImage; Madison McGaw/BFA.com/Shutterstock
All of this shows that the scales of justice are tilted not just in favour of powerful, wealthy, celebrated men, but often in favour of men in general. The rich and influential simply have more resources to evade accountability. When they are finally held to account, it is often fleeting. A brief illusion of justice snatched away almost as quickly as it appeared. These high-profile cases are broadcast to our phones in real time, a constant reminder of the reality that countless survivors face every single day.
By all reports, there was substantial evidence to convict Sean “Diddy” Combs for all the offences he was charged with. The jury concluded that prosecutors had failed to prove coercion or a criminal enterprise beyond a reasonable doubt. At the same time, the defence framed the relationships as consensual, casting the women as willing participants. The verdict isn’t just a legal outcome. It’s a cultural one.
This verdict is another reminder that a justice system steeped in patriarchal bias treats abuse as a minor infraction. Especially when the accused wields wealth, status, and influence.. For survivors of abuse, the message is chilling: come forward at your own risk, and even overwhelming evidence may fail to hold a powerful man fully accountable. History shows that the cycle persists, and Combs’ acquittal is yet another proof that in a world built to protect perpetrators, the scales of justice rarely tip in favour of the survivor. We remain unsurprised.