Documents May Challenge Credibility of Jackson Accuser’s Mother

[b] Documents May Challenge Credibility of Jackson Accuser’s Mother[/b] Allegations Made Against [Accuser’s] Father Parallel Some Jackson Charges An uncovered police report may give Michael Jackson’s lawyers fuel to question the credibility of his young accuser’s mother. Oct. 11, 2004 — Michael Jackson’s defense team has said the mother of his alleged child molestation victim has made false claims and told the judge that she once accused her ex-husband of crimes that parallel some of the charges “The King of Pop” faces. ABC News has exclusively obtained police reports in which the alleged victim’s mother details those accusations against her husband. Jackson, 46, is accused of molesting a now-14-year-old boy who spent time at his Neverland ranch and is believed to be a cancer survivor who appeared last year in the British documentary Living With Michael Jackson. He has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges that include felony conspiracy with 28 overt acts involving child abduction, false imprisonment, and extortion. The conspiracy charge against Jackson refers to his alleged attempts through associates to quiet the alleged victim and his family. The father of Jackson’s alleged victim pleaded no contest to spousal abuse in 2001 and child cruelty in 2002 and has been barred from seeing his children. He and the alleged victim’s mother have continued to battle over the issue as he lost a bid earlier this year to regain child visitation rights. In a police report filed in 2001 during their bitter divorce, the alleged victim’s mother accused her husband of child molestation, telling police she saw him touch their daughter inappropriately when she was 3 or 4 years old. In the same report, the daughter also accused the father of false imprisonment for allegedly locking her “inside his vehicle against her will.” One report alleged that the father told his daughter that if she yelled he would kill Jackson’s alleged victim (her brother) and the whole family. In the Jackson case, the alleged victim’s younger brother has said one of Jackson’s associates allegedly threatened to kill him and his family if he told anyone about the singer serving him and his siblings alcohol. Irrelevant or Key Credibility Issue? The father of Jackson’s alleged victim was never convicted of the allegations made in the police report. His lawyer said the mother has fabricated the accusations. “She manipulates the truth in order to benefit herself,” Russ Halpern said. “She manipulates others, particularly her children.” One legal expert believes this could potentially raise questions about the mother’s credibility in the criminal case against Jackson. Sources told ABC News that prosecutors are likely to argue that the details of the parents’ divorce have no relevance to the charges made against Jackson. However, sources said, Jackson’s defense will try to make the mother’s claims against her husband a key part of their attack on her credibility. Michael Jackson’s trial on child molestation charges is set to begin in January 2005. Reported by ABC News’ Jessica Yellin on Good Morning America. Source: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/story?id=155033&page=1