P. Diddy's daddy bill

Music

13:30 21 June 2005

P. Diddy was hit with a £130,000-a-year child maintenance bill - on Father's Day (19.06.05).

The rap star was ordered to hand over the annual cash sum - the largest amount ever decreed by a New York court - to childhood sweetheart Misa Hylton-Brim, mother of his 11-year-old son, Justin.

But the 35-year-old star, who also has another son, Christian, from a relationship with model Kim Porter, branded the judgment "a scam" and vowed to fight the ruling.

He told America's New York Daily News newspaper: "This is not about the money. This is about me as a father.

"And this is not about my son. My child is being used. There's a scam that's going on.

"And I'm going to fight it to the highest court there is."

The millionaire music mogul later claimed his former partner was trying to extort money to subsidise her own lavish lifestyle - saying he already provides everything his son needs.

The Bad Boy Record's boss - real name Sean Combs - insisted, however, he bore no ill will towards his former lover.

He added: "If anything, Justin has too much. He goes to the best private schools and gets a tutor every day.

"This money is not going to be spent on Justin. But I'll always love Misa. She was my high school sweetheart."

(c) BANG Media International