Michael Jackson defended by brother Jermaine over claims singer had naked children images at Neverland ranch
Jermaine Jackson shared a series of tweets on Twitter reminding followers Michael had been cleared of child abuse charges by a jury in 2005
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Your support makes all the difference.Jermaine Jackson has defended his late brother Michael after claims newly released police reports alleged the singer’s home contained books containing nude images of children and pornographic books and videos.
In 2003, Jackson’s Neverland ranch was raided as part of the police investigation into claims of child molestation made against the singer. The documents detailing the raid were never made public but now appear to have been published by Radar Online.
They claim a number of books “depicting nude children”, children in swimwear and children’s faces superimposed onto adult bodies were found among Jackson’s possessions. There were also various pornographic magazines, videos and books of which some allegedly had fetish or S&M themes. Radar claims some of the images showed animal torture.
The documents purportedly from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department state several of the books depicting nude children do not legally amount to “child pornography” but in the officers experience they, along with the wide range of pornography found, are allegedly the “type of material [that] can be used as part of a ‘grooming’ process”.
The evidence was used at Jackson’s trial for 14 charges of child molestation in 2005, for which he was acquitted of all charges by a jury.
On Tuesday, Jackson’s daughter Paris defended her father against the claims when she tweeted: "Unfortunately negativity will always sell. I urge you all to ignore the trash and the parasites who make a career trying to slander my father.”
Now, Jackson’s brother and former bandmate Jermaine has defended the “Thriller” singer in a series of tweets.
Jermaine claims Radar Online recycled a ‘police report’ which “contained lies about Michael disproven long ago”. He also reiterated that “all available evidence, reports and exhibits [were] shown to jurors in 2005 [who] found him not guilty. Unanimously”.
He pleaded with the media to let Jackson “rest in peace”.
After the publication of the documents, a representative for Jackson’s estate said in a statement: “Michael Jackson’s fans, including the Executors of his estate, prefer to remember the wonderful gifts Michael left behind instead of having to once again see his good name dragged through the mud by tabloid trash.
“Everything in these reports, including what the County of Santa Barbara calls ‘content that appears to be obtained off the Internet or through unknown sources’ is false, no doubt timed to the anniversary of Michael’s passing. Those who continue to shamelessly exploit Michael via sleazy internet ‘click bait’ ignore that he was acquitted by a jury in 2005 on every one of the 14 salacious charges brought against him in a failed witch hut.
“Michael remains just as innocent of these smears in death as he was in life even though he isn’t here to defend himself. Enough is enough.”
A representative for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff Department said: “Some of the copies appear to be copies of reports that were authored by Sheriff’s Office personnel as well as evidentiary photographs taken by Sheriff’s Offie personnel interspersed with content that appears to be obtained off the internet or through unknown sources. The Sheriff’s Office did not release any of the documents and/or photographs to the media. The Sheriff’s Office released all of its reports and the photographs as part of the required discovery process to the prosecution and defence.”
Jackson dies aged 50 in 2009 after going into cardiac arrest following an overdose of sedatives.