During jury selection, the juror indicated on a questionnaire that he lived in the Bronx area of New York. But more recently, he told a court staffer he had moved in with his girlfriend in New Jersey.

Last Friday, Judge Arun Subramanian said he had found "several inconsistencies" between the juror's answers in court transcripts, which he said could suggest a desire to "be deceptive" in an effort to get on the jury. Lawyers for Combs had opposed the decision, saying that Combs would be "substantially prejudiced by the dismissal" of a black male from the jury.

The juror has been replaced by an alternative juror, a 57-year-old white father from Westchester. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. The possible dismissal of the juror has been discussed by lawyers for the past week. Lead prosecutor Maurene Comey had asked that a juror be dismissed for what she described as "a lack of candour".

The prosecution said the juror had disclosed that he recently moved to New Jersey with his girlfriend and had been staying there for most of the trial. When he was questioned behind closed doors, the juror said he was staying in an apartment in the Bronx, New York, during the week, for four to five nights, when he was working and doing jury duty.

But the juror had said at an earlier stage, in a prospective juror interview several weeks ago, that he lived in the Bronx with his fiancé and daughter. At one point, the juror had also mentioned living with an aunt, but later omitted her. The judge said he had found "several inconsistencies" between the juror's answers in the court transcripts.

The inconsistencies, the judge said, could point to a desire to "shade answers" and raised serious question about the juror's "candour" and his "ability to follow instructions". The judge noted that there were six alternative jurors to preserve the "integrity" of the court. "Removal of the juror is required, in this court's view," the judge said. (BBC/Reuters)