Prior Sex Offences

The prosecution team, in the forthcoming Michael Jackson, trial are attempting to have evidence of previous sexual offences admitted to the trial.

It is reported that they have evidence relating to seven previous offences, allegedly committed by Jackson.

The defence, not surprisingly, wants the evidence barred; as, in their view, the evidence is flimsy.

Judge Rodney Melville will decide next week as to whether the evidence will be admitted. His prime concern will be as to whether admission of previous offences will prejudice the trial.

Gag Order Blown?

It seems that the gag order, imposed on the forthcoming Michael Jackson trial, has been blown apart by The Smoking Gun.

The website alleges that the prosecution have amassed a vast quantity of damning evidence against Jackson. This includes; porn, booze and eyewitness accounts of Jackson licking his accuser.

The site goes on to allege that the porn magazines were used to arouse Jackson's alleged victim.

Among the allegations on the website are:

• Jackson masturbated a drunken minor



• Jackson took the boy to Miami, and gave him red wine ("Jesus Juice") in a Diet Coke can



• Jackson, and his team, allegedly tried to cover up giving a minor alcohol; by trying to lose the urine sample



• A leather bag next to Jackson's bathroom sink, and a Samsonite briefcase near his bed, contained porn



• Pornographic DVD's were also allegedly discovered at Neverland



• The search of Jackson's bathroom allegedly uncovered a letter addressed to "Dear Apple Head"



• Jackson allegedly gave children names such as "Doo Doo Head" and "Blowhole". He instructed them to say that they had been looking at the Simpsons, in the event that they were caught surfing the net for porn



• He allegedly threatened the children that they should not to tell anyone about their encounters, even if a gun was held to their heads



• The site also alleges that on a February 6 2003, on a plane trip back to California, the accuser's brother and mother both witnessed Jackson licking him



• Jackson kept boys' underwear in a hamper



• The site also alleges that former Jackson aide, Frank Tyson, told kids to keep quiet about leaving Neverland or "I could have your mother killed."

The truth or otherwise of these allegations will have to be decided by the jury in the trial, which will start on 31 January 2005. However, it is fair to assume that the judge, defence and prosecution will be pretty furious about the leak.

Culkin Comes on Board

It is reported that "Home Alone" star Macaulay Culkin has indicated that he will cooperate with Michael Jackson's defence lawyers, in Jackson's forthcoming child molestation trial.

It had been speculated that he would not get involved.

Ring For Sale

Michael Jackson's ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, has reportedly put her wedding ring up for sale on eBAY.

The timing of the sale has been designed for maximum effect, namely when Jackson stands trial for alleged child molestation.

It seems that Rowe wishes to exert maximum pressure on Jackson, in order to help her win custody of their children Prince and Paris.

The diamond is a 2.13-carat diamond round cut made in Sydney, Australia; it was given to Rowe the day before their marriage began, on 12 November 1996.

The Veil of Secrecy

With less than 30 days to go until the start of Michael Jackson's trial, the gag order remains robustly in place.

The court released rulings and documents yesterday, all with significant levels of Nixonesque deletions and "black censor marks".

The only written order, by Judge Rodney Melville, released in detail was the decision to deny the defence motion to suppress evidence seized from the office of Jackson's personal assistant.

One of the censored documents, released by the judge, was the prosecution report on a search of Jackson's Neverland ranch that took place on November 18 2003.

The document included a statement, that investigators had received information from a confidential informant. The informant apparently told them that Jackson had told the informant something, how very helpful!

However, whatever that was had been blacked out in the released documents.

All clear?

The next pretrial hearing is scheduled for January 12.

Blood Protest

It was reported that a man recently sprayed his own blood at a sculpture of Michael Jackson, that was part of a Berlin exhibit of artworks belonging to the heir of a Nazi-era arms supplier.

The man, Hungarian-born performance artist Istvan Kantor, managed to miss the statue; and instead splattered the wall behind it, at the show of Friedrich Christian Flick's modern-art collection in the Hamburger Bahnhof museum.

His target was the ugly (in my view) gold coloured statue of Jackson, and his pet monkey Bubbles, by American sculptor Paul McCarthy.

Kantor was apparently protesting about the loss of independence in art.