Culkin 'to assist' Jackson

2005-05-11 10:21

Santa Maria - Former child actor Macaulay Culkin, 24, could show up at Michael Jackson's child sex trial, possibly as early as Wednesday, to deny claims the "King of Pop" fondled him in 1991.

"I do expect he will come eventually" Jackson spokesperson Raymone Bain said of the Home Alone star.

But she declined to confirm widespread speculation that Culkin, who figures on the list of potential defence witnesses, would be brought in on Wednesday.

In the 1990s, Culkin was among the young boys who would regularly visit Jackson's Neverland ranch. Like two others who testified last week, he has admitted to sharing Jackson's bed, but emphatically denies anything untoward happened.

Last month, a former chef at Jackson's Neverland ranch testified that he saw the pop idol fondle Culkin with a hand inside the boy's shorts in 1991.

And on Tuesday, Jackson's ranch manager Joseph Marcus acknowledged Culkin was among those with whom Jackson developed "special bonds" at the time, as the prosecution read off a list of boys it claims the entertainer fondled.

Marcus insisted girls and adult women also figured among Jackson's special friends, but he struggled to come up with examples, eventually naming Elizabeth Taylor, and, after much hesitation, Liza Minelli, as well as the sisters of two boys prosecutors claim the pop star molested.

The prosecution has brought up the uncharged claims dating back more than a decade in a bid to convince jurors Jackson has a history of sexually abusing young boys.

Jackson has insisted his love of children, and the sleepovers, are pure and innocent.

The 46-year-old father of three has pleaded innocent to all 10 charges that he fondled a 13-year-old boy two years ago, served alcohol to the recovering cancer patient and conspired to hold him and his family captive.

Prosecutors argue that Jackson and his aides held the family to prevent any further damage to his fading career and sinking finances following the broadcast of a documentary in which the pop star and the young boy were seen holding hands.

Marcus, who was to return to the witness stand on Wednesday, insisted he never gave any order to hold the family captive.

But he did admit giving a directive not to let the boy and his younger brother leave the ranch on one occasion when they were there without their mother, saying this was for safety reasons.

The log book entry read: "The kids are not to leave..."

In further testimony challenging the kidnap conspiracy charge, Marcus told of one time when he drove the family off the ranch for a shopping trip, and another time when they were taken to an orthodontist.

On neither occasion, Marcus said, did any of them seek to run away or even raise any alarm, despite the fact that he had remained in the car for an hour while they shopped.

Jackson sat motionless throughout the proceedings as he has done since opening arguments almost 11 weeks ago. His publicist cited lead defence lawyer Thomas Mesereau as saying he would need another six weeks to conclude his case, at which stage the jury should start deliberations.

- AFP