NEW YORK >> Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs wants to go to trial on sex trafficking charges next spring, lawyers for the jailed hip-hop mogul told a judge on Wednesday.

His preference for a trial in April or May was mentioned in a joint letter in which his lawyers and prosecutors advised a judge about what they expect to discuss at a hearing on Thursday in Manhattan federal court. Prosecutors said they will be available for trial but did not specify when they want it to occur.

Combs, 54, has been locked up since his Sept. 16 arrest on charges alleging that he has physically and sexually abused women for years. He has pleaded not guilty. The indictment alleges Combs coerced and abused women with the aid of a network of associates and employees, while using blackmail and violent acts including kidnapping, arson and beatings to keep victims from speaking out.

His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, has said prosecutors are seeking to criminalize consensual sex that his client has engaged in.

He has said Combs plans to clear his name at trial.

The letter submitted to Judge Arun Subramanian, who is expected to preside over the trial, contained no mention of continued detention without bail for Combs after two other judges in separate proceedings concluded that no bail conditions could ensure the community would be protected if Combs was released.

Late Tuesday, lawyers for Combs asked the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan in court papers to reverse the detention orders and permit his release pending trial.