Jackson team in uphill battle
2005-04-05 15:37
California - Michael Jackson's lawyers on Tuesday faced one of their toughest battles in the superstar's child sex trial, following the tearful and explosive testimony of a second alleged victim.
Court-watchers say lead defence attorney Thomas Mesereau will be walking a tightrope as he seeks to discredit the testimony without being seen as too harsh on the young man who claims Jackson fondled him.
The witness, the 24-year-old son of Jackson's former maid, dropped a courtroom bombshell when he told jurors the "King of Pop" had first fondled him when he was seven or eight, and then again on two more occasions.
While the jurors are not being asked to judge his case, or four more that will be presented in coming days, they must assess whether Jackson had a "propensity to commit similar crimes" to the ones he is charged with.
The "King of Pop" has denied all 10 counts that he fondled a 13-year-old boy, served him alcohol and conspired to hold him and his family against their will two years ago.
Dealt a severe blow
The judge's decision to allow testimony about the prior cases has dealt a severe blow to Jackson's lawyers who had gone all out to argue the star's accuser was a liar and a pawn in his mother's scheme to extort money from celebrities.
Lead defence lawyer Thomas Mesereau evidently hopes to discredit the latest witness, but the beginning of his cross-examination on Monday suggested he faces an uphill struggle.
"Mesereau didn't gain anything in his cross-examination," said legal analyst Jim Moret.
"It doesn't seem the defence has any ammunition against this witness," he said.
The defence team did point out that the young man initially denied the molestation when police first interviewed him in 1993, and suggested he only made the claims after insistent prodding by the authorities.
But the man insisted he had been scared to admit the truth at first, and said he was still ashamed of it now despite five years of therapy that followed the alleged abuses.
"This is so much harder than I thought," he said, dabbing his eyes with a tissue as he recalled the alleged molestation, which he said took place all three times as he and Jackson tickled each other.
He claimed Jackson fondled his genitals twice through his shorts when he was seven or eight, and two to three years later put his hands down his pants and "reached up to my privates."
The man won an out of court settlement worth a reported $2m from Jackson in 1994 but said he only learned of it in 1997. He also said he only found out two days ago that his mother, who is also due to testify, had once been paid $20 000 to appear on a television show. - AFP
- SAPA