Testimony by mother of Jackson accuser in doubt – Reuters

[b]Testimony by mother of Jackson accuser in doubt[/b] SANTA MARIA, Calif (Reuters) – Crucial testimony by the mother of the teen accuser in Michael Jackson’s sexual-abuse trial was thrown into doubt on Wednesday when the woman invoked her constitutional right against self-incrimination. The mother of the teen told Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville she would decline to answer any questions relating to applications she made in the past for welfare payments, citing protections under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The woman, who has been portrayed by defence attorneys as a liar and a grifter who preyed on celebrities, said she would testify on any other matters relating to the charges against Jackson of child sex abuse and conspiracy to kidnap. “This witness will answer all questions other than her welfare application,” prosecutor Ron Zonin told the judge in a hearing outside the presence of the jury. Melville is expected later on Wednesday to rule on her application, or whether she would testify at all, after hearing objections from the defence. The mother, a key witness in the case against Jackson, was expected to tell jurors that she was held against her will at the 46-year-old pop star’s Neverland Valley Ranch in February or March of 2003. Source: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050413/325/fg9qw.html