Jackson expects 'guilty'
2005-05-31 23:12
Los Angeles - Pop icon Michael Jackson believes he will be convicted of child molestation at the end of his trial and appeared to be "scared silly" about the prospect of jail, according to Vanity Fair magazine.
The prestigious magazine quoted investigator Gordon Novel, called in to help expose an alleged conspiracy that led to the charges against the star, as saying Jackson confessed to fearing that he would lose the case.
Rival lawyers were preparing to present their closing arguments in the high-profile case as early as Wednesday, before jurors retired to consider whether or not to convict Jackson of child molestation.
At a meeting at Neverland Ranch in March this year, the embattled King of Pop told Novel "he believes he'll get convicted", Vanity Fair quoted the investigator as saying in its edition that hits newsstands on June 8.
'Rigged the game'
"I want this trial stopped," Jackson reportedly told Novel, adding he believed judge Rodney Melville and prosecutor Tom Sneddon "rigged the game", the magazine said in an article by Maureen Orth, who has spent years researching Jackson.
"He acted like he was scared silly," Novel reportedly told Orth.
"His fear was six-foot thick. He kept asking me what prison was like.
"Can he watch TV and movies there? He wanted me to stop the show," Novel reportedly said.
The investigator, who says he turned on Jackson and told his story to the media because the star allegedly failed to pay a promised $5 000 fee, claimed he told Jackson he was in need of an "extreme makeover".
"Get rid of the weird persona. You look like the weird paedophile.
"I'm talking about the hair, lipstick, eyebrows.
"Just be yourself, and say why you're doing it.
"Say that's your show-biz personality," Novel was quoted as saying.
Novel said he also advised Jackson to find a female lover, but that the star rejected all his advice.
"He said: 'No. I just want to be me'." Vanity Fair quoted the investigator as saying.
Trying to get his major financial asset
Jackson believes that enemies, including Sneddon, Sony Records and the company's former president, Tommy Mottola, whom Jackson has denounced as "evil", mounted a conspiracy to charge him with child abuse, the magazine said.
"Jackson alleges they are trying to wrest control of his major financial asset, the Sony/ATV Music catalogue, which holds publishing rights to 251 Beatles songs as well as works by scores of other pop artists," said Vanity Fair.
Orth also claimed in her article that former Jackson defence lawyer Brian Oxman allegedly contacted possible witnesses in the trial and offered cash to a boy who won a $23.3m dollar settlement of 1993 child sex allegations in return for not testifying in the latest case.