Gavin Arvizo, the teenage accuser of Michael Jackson, attempted to explain his volte-face in respect of denying to his Dean that Jackson had ever done anything inappropriate to him.
He claimed in court yesterday, that this denial was so that he could avoid the stigma of being known as a victim of homosexual abuse.
Gavin said that after the documentary "Living With Michael Jackson" had been shown, his classmates taunted him as "the kid who got raped by Michael Jackson."
Children can be particularly cruel.
Inevitably there were a number of schoolyard fights, for which he was sent to see Jeffrey Alpert the Dean. He told Alpert that nothing had happened to him, only months later did he tell lawyers and a psychologist that Jackson molested him.
The defence team suggested that this volte-face was as a result of coaching, and pressure from the family to lie.
Some commentators contend that the initial denials are understandable, given the fact that at that age teenagers are remarkably easily embarrassed about their image.
The key to determining who the jury will "side with" will be the performance of Janet Jackson (nee Arvizo) on the witness stand. It is fair to say that, at the moment, her credibility looks "poor" at best.
The jury will have to decide as to whether Gavin was pressured, by his mother, into making this story up for the money.
Gavin gave his opinion of Jackson, who he once called "Daddy Michael" and thought of as being his best friend, now:
"I don't really like him anymore..I don't really think he's deserving of the respect I was giving him as the coolest guy in the world."
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