Jackson 'imprisoned sex case boy and family'

Michael Jackson imprisoned a child and his family at his ranch and forced them to make a video absolving him of sex claims after a television documentary linked the pop star to an obsession with young boys, a prosecutor said.

Michael Jackson imprisoned a child and his family at his ranch and forced them to make a video absolving him of sex claims after a television documentary linked the pop star to an obsession with young boys, a prosecutor said.

In a documentary broadcast in February 2003, Jackson defended his habit of letting children sleep in his bed as "sweet" and non-sexual. Jackson was shown holding hands with the boy who is now his accuser.

Later in February, his lawyers made their own videotape of the boy and his mother. The tape has not been shown publicly, but sources have said the mother and child praised Jackson's generosity towards them and described him as a father figure to the boy, a cancer patient.

"The person Jackson perceived could put out this (public relations) fire was John Doe and his family," Deputy District Attorney Gordon Auchincloss said yesterday, referring to the alleged victim. "If he could get them on tape describing Mr Jackson as a wonderful person, it would quell this fire."

Auchincloss said the family had become virtual prisoners, forbidden to leave Neverland Ranch, and were forced by Jackson to make the tape. He said the family escaped once but was "cajoled back". He did not elaborate.

Defence lawyer Thomas Mesereau derided the entire prosecution case as "absurd on its face" and demanded dismissal of all charges.

The allegations came at a hearing in which Judge Rodney Melville granted a defence request to postpone the scheduled September 13 trial. He set a new date of January 31, 2005.

The fiery court presentation was the first time the prosecution disclosed the theory of its conspiracy case against Jackson. Auchincloss detailed a number of the overt acts in the indictment, which have been kept secret until now.

Auchincloss suggested Jackson lured the alleged victim to his bed after the documentary aired. He also said that Jackson began to entice the boy with alcohol and flew the family to holidays in luxury resorts.

"He had his private plane land in the middle of the night in Santa Barbara, and take John Doe and his family to Neverland," the prosecutor said. "At Neverland, there are late nights, no homework. Do what you want, eat what you want, stay out late - no rules. It's a world of self-indulgence. Ultimately, it gets John Doe to sleep in the bed of Michael Jackson."

Mesereau ridiculed the assumption that the trips constituted false imprisonment, saying, "The idea that they were imprisoned and forced to fly on private jets to Florida, to socialise with celebrities such as Chris Tucker, is absurd on its face. It would be laughed out of court by a jury."

Jackson, 45, is charged with committing a lewd act upon a child, administering an intoxicating agent and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. He is on £2 million bail.