News Arhive: Michael Jacksons young Accuser Finishes On Stand
Michael Jackson’s young accuser finished up his time on the stand Tuesday with a few final questions about his accusations towards the singer.
During questioning from District Attorney Tom Snedden, the boy explained why in earlier testimony he said he told his school's dean nothing happened between Jacko and himself.
The boy said his schoolmates picked on him after the airing of Martin Bashir's documentary, Living With Michael Jackson. He said when the dean confronted him, he said he wanted all of the kids to leave him alone and didn’t want anyone to know the truth. Lawyers also asked the boy what he thought of Jackson now. The boy said he didn’t really like him anymore.
Questioning then turned to the allegations that Jackson held the family hostage at Neverland Ranch. He admitted he didn’t try to escape during many opportunities, such as trips to the dentist and out shopping, and said that at the time he liked being at the ranch.
After the boy finished his four-day run on the stand, the lead investigator in the case, Sgt. Steve Robel took the stand. He was the officer who first interviewed the family about the allegations. Robel said that he encouraged the family to go ahead with their claims and said they would try to make the case work to support the family's story.
Defence lawyer Robert Sanger questioned the boy’s first allegations of five separate molestation dates and Robel admitted that the boy’s version of the story had changed since his first report.
