Michael Jackson 'showed anger'

2005-03-03 09:43

Santa Maria - Michael Jackson is coping as best he can with the pressures of his child molestation trial, despite the fury he feels at listening to the prosecution lay out its case against him, his publicist said.

"It's very hard when you are being vilified," publicist Raymone Bain said after the second day of testimony on Wednesday in the pop superstar's trial on charges of molesting a 13-year-old boy.

"He's shown more anger than anything else," Bain told reporters. I haven't seen any depression. I haven't seen any dark side other than the anger."

Bain said Jackson was especially upset on Tuesday when, together with the jury, he watched as the prosecution played the court a tape of the documentary Living With Michael Jackson that led to the molestation charges being brought.

Jackson felt betrayed

"He was very angry, because here was somebody he had embraced," Bain said, referring to the British journalist, Martin Bashir, who made the documentary and took the stand as a prosecution witness.

"He felt there was some betrayal there," Bain said.

Jackson has blamed Bashir for stirring up the molestation allegations with his film, in which the singer admits to sharing his bed with children.

Questioned on Jackson's life outside the trial proceedings, Bain said the pop star spent the evening with his three children until their bedtime, and then talked on the telephone with friends or consulted with his lawyers.

"He's coping with it all as best he can," she said, adding that Jackson still managed to find a little time for his music.

"That's the way he relaxes, creating," she said. "He's involved with a number of projects, but of course his trial is the number one priority. Nothing is more important than that."

Since the trial began in earnest on Monday, Jackson's mother, Katherine, has been in court every day, accompanied each time by a different one of the singer's brothers.

"It has more to do with schedules," Bain said, when asked if the family had taken an active decision to rotate their presence in the courtroom.

"The family are icons. They all have their own careers," she said. "I'm sure you'll be seeing them all as the days progress."

Legal experts have predicted the trial could last as long as six months.

As for Jackson's defence team, Bain said the singer felt "very happy" at their performance so far.

"But there's still a long way to go," she added.

- AFP