The Prisoner

As Michael Jackson's trial progresses the tales spun by some witnesses become ever more fanciful, and "fantastic".

Yesterday Janet Jackson (nee Arvizo) returned to the witness stand, she was a little more controlled than her first appearance on Wednesday; that histrionic performance won her no friends on the jury.

I do really wonder what the prosecution were thinking of, when they decided to use her as a witness for their case.

Maybe they had forgotten to medicate her on Wednesday?

Janet Jackson (JJ to save confusion) claimed that she and her family had been imprisoned by Jackson's henchman, and told that "killers" were after her.

JJ said that over several weeks she and others were moved around, and made to feel like prisoners. In rather a telling admission, she said that she had not gone to the police because "who would possibly believe" what she was saying.

Wise words indeed Mrs J!

In the rebuttal video made by the Arvizos, she praised Jackson. However, according to her, this had been scripted; such lines as "he's a wonderful father. Basically, in summary, that he's a wonderful father ... to my children" were not her own.

She was asked if she believed what she was saying in the video, and replied:

"I was confused, I was sad, so basically I was acting."

She did burst into tears once, when the prosecution showed her four passports belonging to her and her children. Seemingly these had been forcibly obtained for an alleged trip to Brazil.

JJ said that everything that she did between 21 February to 10 March 2003 was done under dictat. Jackson's aides would monitor her calls, stand outside her window or her hotel door and would not let her leave their custody.

Quote:

"All along this period, I'm trying to reach people to help me because it's evolving into more and more escalation,".

During this "imprisonment" JJ said that they also found time to go shopping for clothes, went to the Laugh Factory club, to a hotel and returned to Neverland.

Call me sceptical, but it's a funny kind of imprisonment where you are allowed out to go shopping etc.