Post by Auset on Apr 19, 2005 8:40:48 GMT -5
The mother of Michael Jackson's teenage accuser clashed with defense lawyer Thomas Mesereau in the singer's child molestation trial on Friday - when he told her she was lying about the alleged abuse.
The mother and Mesereau's exchange became so heated that Judge Rodney Melville was forced to warn the attorney to behave more professionally, and ordered the witness to stop being argumentative.
At one point she told the court in Santa Maria, California, "Neverland is all about pornography, booze and sex with boys."
Judge Melville told the jury to ignore the remark.
The accuser's mother had spent the preceding two days testifying she and her family were held against their will at Jackson's Neverland ranch near Santa Barbara, California, following the broadcast of Martin Bashir's controversial 2003 TV documentary 'Living With Michael Jackson.'
On Friday, Mesereau asked her, "How many times, in your mind, did you escape from that dungeon, Neverland?"
The witness admitted she had left and returned three times, but claimed she was enticed back by Jackson employees.
Jackson has pleaded not guilty to 10 felony charges of child molestation, administering an intoxicating agent and conspiracy involving allegations of child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.
The mother and Mesereau's exchange became so heated that Judge Rodney Melville was forced to warn the attorney to behave more professionally, and ordered the witness to stop being argumentative.
At one point she told the court in Santa Maria, California, "Neverland is all about pornography, booze and sex with boys."
Judge Melville told the jury to ignore the remark.
The accuser's mother had spent the preceding two days testifying she and her family were held against their will at Jackson's Neverland ranch near Santa Barbara, California, following the broadcast of Martin Bashir's controversial 2003 TV documentary 'Living With Michael Jackson.'
On Friday, Mesereau asked her, "How many times, in your mind, did you escape from that dungeon, Neverland?"
The witness admitted she had left and returned three times, but claimed she was enticed back by Jackson employees.
Jackson has pleaded not guilty to 10 felony charges of child molestation, administering an intoxicating agent and conspiracy involving allegations of child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.
