Fans, friends rejoice
2005-06-14 00:05
London - Fans and friends of Michael Jackson's rejoiced around the globe as a jury in California on Monday delivered a verdict of not guilty in the pop star's trial on child molestation and conspiracy charges.
Jackson was found not guilty on all 10 counts including molesting a 13-year-old cancer survivor, of getting the boy drunk and of conspiring to imprison his accuser and the boy's family at his estate.
In Britain, Jackson's friend psychic Uri Geller said he couldn't believe the resounding not guilty verdict.
"I can't believe it, I'm just so pleased I'm lost for words," Geller said.
"I always said I want to believe that he's not guilty and he's not guilty.
"I'm trembling, this is so important, he did not let down his fans and all the people that love him," said Geller, who helped set up the TV interview in which the singer said he sometimes shared a bed with children.
"He went through hell and now the nightmare is over," Geller said.
Interest in the verdict stretched into the Middle East, with Arab news channels al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya cutting to live footage of the courthouse as Jackson arrived for the verdict.
- AP