Jacko vows to fight child abuse allegations
Pop superstar Michael Jackson was back in Las Vegas today hours after being arrested in handcuffs over child abuse allegations that could finish off his career and send him to prison for years.
The self-styled “King of Pop” posted €2.4m bail in Santa Barbara. He waved to reporters and flashed a V-sign before leaving the Santa Barbara County jail in a black limousine escorted by three sheriff’s motorcycle officers.
After being released, Jackson, who has three young children, flew back to Las Vegas airport, where what appeared to be the three children covered by blankets were carried from the plane by assistants.
As Jackson left the plane, assistants tried to shield him from TV cameras by holding up sheets, but he was visible to helicopter cameras.
He briefly flashed a peace sign before disappearing into a black Lincoln Navigator. Groups of people on roadsides waved at his passing motorcade and some ran up to the car at stops.
In Santa Barbara, defence attorney Mark Geragos said: “He’s come back specifically to confront these charges head-on. He is greatly outraged by the bringing of these charges. He considers this to be a big lie.”
“Lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons,” Jackson added in a statement issued by a spokesman. “The truth will win this marathon in court.”
With Jackson’s riches and global fame, the advent of 24-hour cable news channels, and the rise of TV cameras in the courtroom, the allegations set the stage for what would be one of the most sensational celebrity court cases in recent years.
Authorities released no details of the case beyond a warrant accusing the 45-year-old Jackson of multiple counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, an offence punishable by three to eight years in prison.
But news reports have said the child was a 13-year-old boy who suffers from cancer and visited Jackson at his Neverland Ranch, a storybook playland where the singer was known to hold sleepovers for children and share his bed with youngsters.
Sheriff's Sergeant Chris Pappas said Jackson and his representatives were cooperative during the 30-to-45-minute booking.
Jackson’s brother Jermaine denounced the allegations in a CNN interview as “nothing but a modern-day lynching.”
“This is what they want to see: him in handcuffs. You got it. But it won’t be for long, I promise you,” Jermaine Jackson said.
District Attorney Thomas Sneddon said that charges would be filed soon in the case, but Pappas said that Sneddon “has announced that no charges will be filed until after Thanksgiving.”
Jackson was given a January 9 arraignment date.
Geragos said: “He understands the people who are outraged, because if these charges were true, I assure you Michael would be the first to be outraged.
“I’m here to tell you today, Michael has given me the authority to say on his behalf these charges are categorically untrue. He looks forward to getting into a courtroom as opposed to any other forum and confronting these accusations head on.”
Michael Dean, deputy director of Santa Barbara County Social Services, declined to comment on whether there were plans to take Jackson’s children into protective custody, citing confidentiality rules.
He said that generally, criminal charges can prompt a child welfare investigation, but said such an investigation was not automatic.
