With the Jacko court case looming ever closer, ABC News in the
US has released a report that claims to include transcripts from the testimony of Jackson's accuser. That testimony was given to a grand jury investigating the allegations against
Jackson, an investigation which has so far successfully avoided media scrutiny.
In the report it is claimed the boy accusing Jackson of sexual abuse told the grand jury that the singer encouraged him to drink alcohol despite his medical condition (he had cancer and had lost a kidney when a surgeon removed a tumor). The boy continues:
"[I said] it harms my kidney if I drink that stuff. But he would just say, 'It's OK.' And he would just keep on telling me to drink."
Elsewhere in the testimony, the boy recalled how Jackson had molested him, telling the grand jury that he had looked over at the pop star and "his eyes were like squinching really tight."
The boy says Jackson didn't speak during the alleged molestation, and neither he nor the singer mentioned it after the incident.
Needless to say Jacko's people aren't impressed that the grand jury testimony has been revealed. Initially a spokesman for Jacko's defense team said they couldn't comment on the ABC report because of the media ban that is in force over the case.
But later Jackson's attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr issued a statement approved by the courts, which urged caution on any public interpretation of the testimony, pointing out that: "The witnesses who testified before the grand jury were never subjected to cross-examination or impeachment by the defense. By law, no judge or defense lawyer was allowed to be present in the grand jury room. Furthermore, the defense had no opportunity to call its own witnesses to refute or criticize this one-sided proceeding."
The judge overseeing the Jacko child abuse case is yet to comment on the revelation of grand jury testimonies that were subject to a media ban. As for the case itself, there are more pre-trial hearings planned for 21 and 27 Jan, before jury selection begins on 31 Jan.