Sean “Diddy” Combs’s conviction is racist and sexist, his lawyers have argued.

In a legal filing seeking that the 55-year-old be released on bail while awaiting sentencing, his attorneys argued the 1910 Mann Act, under which he was convicted, was “rich with both racism and misogyny”.

They also said while Combs had been found guilty of two prostitution related charges, he had not profited financially from those acts.

“Sean Combs should not be in jail for this conduct,” said his lawyer Marc Agnifilo.

Making use of a slang term used for men who pay prostitutes, he added: “In fact, he may be the only person currently in a United States jail for being any sort of John.”

He said that, historically, the Act has been used to prosecute pimps and those who profit from prostitution.