Pleasure Island

Kiki Fournier, Michael Jackson's former housekeeper, described Neverland Ranch as a "pleasure island" during her testimony yesterday.

She said that children ran amok, appeared to be drunk and slept in Michael Jackson's private quarters.

Fournier said that children frequently stayed over at Neverland, and would run wild. Fourier, who worked at Neverland between 1991 and 2003, said:

"With the absence of an authority figure, these children became wild, and without their parents there this became like Pinocchio's Pleasure Island.."

Seemingly, on more than one occasion, "children appeared to be intoxicated" she said. During a dinner with Jackson, two or three of a small group of children appeared to be intoxicated she added.

Fournier told the court that children would spend weeks at the ranch, during their school holidays, and would run wild on the property. They would eat whatever they wanted, watch videos, stay up all night and have food fights.

On many occasions, she said, children would refuse to sleep in the bedrooms they had been assigned.

She said:

"Usually they'd get assigned some place to sleep, but sometimes they would stay with Mr Jackson,".

Adding that Jackson would sometimes pick some children over others to spend time with.

Fournier also noted that the childrens' behaviour would change during their stay there, quote:

"The more free rein they had to play, the more wild and destructive they became,".

There are lessons for all parents here; children need boundaries and rules!