Anyone know whether hes bene found guilty or not?? What do you think he will be found? guilty? not guilty?

Any opinion on the case? anyone?

No verdict yet, the Jury is still out

Couldn't care less if I tried to be honest ;)

Personally, I think he's guilty - but think he may get off.... :(

I just don't know...hard to say...

Lindsay
x

guilty, but I think its due to a mental disorder ;)

Is`nt it innocent until proven guilty though? ;)

To be honest I think hes a misunderstood fragile person who in no way has led a normal life, I agree he`s strange but child molestor I don`t think.  That`s just my opinion of course.

Edited to say :-

I have been dragged along to two of his concerts by my husband, last one being at Wembley I`m in no way a great fan, but he`s a great performer who has the utmost respect for his fans.  I think it may just be the vivid imagination of children who have become obsessed with him while staying in his company :)  To be honest if there was one piece of hard evidence I think his children would have been taken away, and he would have been locked up while the trial was going ahead.

America has much stricter laws than in the UK, he may have money and fame, but that don`t save you if hard evidence has been found, especially where the safety and wellbeing of children is concerned.

I personally think he has been proven guilty, its only the jury who need to say it now, the evidence is all there.  He is a child in a mans body, unfortunately it is the mans body which has landed him in trouble.  I dont believe he set out to hurt anyone but with his childish thoughts and his manly urges he had done just that - why else would a grown man want to share a bed with a child :(

Yes, But has it also not been proven what the boys family are like?

Probably the same reason my 10 year old dying nephew shares a bed with his mum and dad, Security :)

To be honest, I really don't think you can compare a terminally ill child sharing a bed with his parents and a child sharing a bed with a male who is not related to him

No Melody you are right, but however when the young boy first stayed at Michael Jackons house/Ranch I was thinking along the lines of "young boy very ill strange house".........

I am in no way defending Jackson, but what ever went on, the truth always outs in the end. :)

>I personally think he has been proven guilty, its only the jury who need to say it now, the evidence is all there. <

Hi Claire,

What 100% founded evidence have you seen? I think from the limit accurate information we have seen so far the prosecution are making a mess of it .

I am looking forward to reading the transcripts.

I think the tabloids are having a great time with some of the stories even though half of them appear to be fabricated.

I have a mixed view on it and am sitting on the fence at the moment but would never say all the evidence is there . :-)

I personally think the evidence is there, but than this whole thing in the end is down to personal opinion, people read things differently and at the end of the day it is all going to depend on how the jury read it.

If he wasnt a superstar this would all be done and dusted by now and he would be either in prison or a mental hospital.

In my opinion he's a consumate manipulator of people ;)  You don't get to be as successful as MJ in the music business unless you can hold your own. 

As this isn't the first time he's been publicly accused of the same thing, you'd have thought he'd stop the behaviour, he has shown arrant stupidity, complete arrogance and total disregard for normal social behaviour.  I await the jury's opinion on the charges.

How many of us can honestly say that his behaviour is considered normal, what normal man would want to do what he's admitted to?

I feel that the jury won't have had the chance to be impartial, there was so much hype in the last case and media coverage in this case is widespread, and in America guilt or innocence seem to depend on who has the better orator as a lawyer.

They are out now till Monday .

I wonder if there is a chance this could never be resolved... I am not sure if I could decide on it - based on the family, his mental state (strange), the money, the fans, the hysteria... it looks an absolute mess to me...

I wonder what happens if they can't decide? A re-trial maybe?

But what I would like to know is, what parent would be happy, allowing their child/children to spend so much time with someone who, by all accounts, does not exhibit "normal" lifestyle?    Is he/is his lifestyle one that would be a good example to a child?

I think not!

Margot

Parents who like the limelight? the money? the fame? the possibiliy of blackmail and extortion?

Exactly!

I know I am not a Michael Jackson fan - but I certainly know that I wouldn't be happy letting any child/grandchild of mine loose with someone who lived that sort of life!

Margot

Boy you are hitting them on the head today Chloe. :-) I think every single family involved should be ashamed of themselves and don't personally deserve any of the kids.

If you or I had the slightest doubt about anyone you wouldn't be within a hundred miles of them. I personally would never leave a child alone over night in a strangers house regardless who they are.  Famous yes but they are strangers as people.

The biggest mistake I think MJ made was settling with the family a few years ago.  That has been a nail in his coffin even if he didn't do anything.  People sadly read the papers then beleive and speculate further.

At times like this I think we need serious control over our papers.

i totally agree no parent in there rite mind would allow there child to stay over alone at mj,s ranch! it just isnt rite! why would he want to share a bed with i child who is not his own, i dont know if he is guilty or not but his way about young boys isnt healthy!

Personally, I don't think his relationship with his own children is at all healthy... I would say that is the most concerning thing of all. Not particulary from an abuse aspect - but what child could be brought up normally by someone like him!

Chloe,

I think you have hit the nail on the head, it is a "mess"

I don't think there will be a retrial.

Some of the prosecutions information would have had to case thrown out completely I think in the UK personally.

It just looks like the prosecution are clutching at straws and throwing loads of mud at him to see what sticks.

In the meantime, the defence and wheedling away at the accusors family and having more of an impact on the quiet IMO.

At the same time there is a media feeding frenzy and a fan circus hanging around outside the door.

If he has done it, I suspect he'll get away with it... what do you think?

Chloe,

I personally don't know just now what I think a the moment :-) I would really like to read the transcripts fully Chloe. I have'n't followed the reacting drama they are doing on TV at all.  I would hate to say one way or another without reading it all.  I did manage to read some stuff on one of the news sites yesterday and was very suprised at some of the prosecutions stuff. More than 70% alleged to have been disallowed.   I don't think the relationships have been healthy for sure BUT how unhealthy I am not.

Dill , I do know what you mean and I may be wrong BUT I do not think there is physical evidence of abuse, I haven't read it anywhere yet and if there was I would have suspected to have heard the prosecution shouting it from the roof tops.  Criminal cases come to trial far more easier than what we think ;-)  

If anyone knows where the whole transcripts are avaliable yet I would love to read them.

PS Chloe forget to say I will be very suprised at a retrial. I think they seem happy how the case is operating and the jury seem to be dealing with everything well.

The thing is, the case wouldn't have been able to go to court without the child being examined extensively by health professionals and they would have had to be very convinced of what had happened to put the child through a court case.

What kind of parent.....?   Please, this is America - where fame and fortune count for everything with many people, and look at how many people are absolutely convinced that MJ couldn't possibly...... simply because of who he is!!

He may get away with it - but I think whatever the outcome, his "career" is in ruins - I know that there are still many "wacko jacko" fans out there still screaming "we lurve you Michael" - but how many promotors will invest in him now????? Very few, I would imagine!

If you had a neighbour that admitted he slept in the same bed as children, his feet wouldn't touch the ground.  He wants people to believe he is childish and pure. BUT, he has admitted to drinking alcohol (calling it Jesus Juice for some sick reson) and reading porn (mainly underage girls). I think he guilty - my opinion, but I think he will get away with it. Does anyone know why he didn't have to take the stand though, I would have thought that he would have to defend himself in some way, the boy went through the ordeal of being examined.
Anyone notice that one of the witnesses has a relative who works for MJ's doctor and one has a son who was convicted of a similar crime?

Speaking as a mum of 3 there is absolutely no way in this lifetime I would allow my child to go and stay with a stranger.  I dont even like my children doing sleepovers because perverts dont have it stamped on their head.  There are too many people in postitions of trust who abuse children. 

I dont know whether he did it or not but what I do know is if he did I personally think the parents share a very large chunk of the responsibility.

thomas- the- spot just being nosey really but where does your user name come from ?? does it mean something to you?

Got to say I haven't read/heard much about the trial, but what I have read implies to me that the boys family are liars.  There has been some things that has been proven they lied about.  To me they seem like money grabbers.   Also, as has been said who in their right mind allows their child to stay in a strangers house.

I do personally think that he is very childlike and in his mind has done nothing wrong - just acted like a big kid. I think he genuinely loves children and I think it unfair that someone said he can't possibly bring his children up normally.  Very few children of famous people have what everyday people would call a 'normal' upbringing, but that is usually out of their control to a degree. I think he really loves his children and they looked like healthy happy children in the film I saw.

Fiona

Shrink down his big ranch to a terrace in UK. Turn the ferris wheel and zoo into a swing and slide in a back yard and a pony and trap on a paddock somewhere and imagine MJ as a sad solitary loner who cannot interact with adults, which is what he would be if not for the fame and money and you have what?.....

But those aren't the facts, are they? Would you rather spend time at Alton Towers or in someone's backyard?

Personally I think he's mad, but not bad.

What do small boys do when they are alone together??

Play - in my experience :)

I have no idea what Michael Jackson got up to with these boys. There appears to be very little reliable evidence. Certainly, any other man (well, most men) would have NOT have had ANY boys sleep in their bed. Most men would not have boys sleep-over at their house, unless the boys were friends of their own child(ren).

Obviously, Michael Jackson is not 'most men' - but this does NOT excuse him from behaving in, what to most people, is a very irresponsible fashion :(  :( Why some people idolise an obviously mentally ill person is beyond me.

Daisy

I wouldn't leave small children with another child in charge of them though, so if the premise that MJ is a child in an adults body is true, he shouldn't be looking after children :)

That baby didn't look very healthy hanging off that balcony with a blanket over his head!

I think he is extremely naive, ill advised, has too much money and not enough to do at best - at worst he has no idea of whats right and whats wrong and no-one has ever told or taught him so.

how did he get away with that one............. :(

"in his mind has done nothing wrong - just acted like a big kid. "

Yeah - a big kid who watches porn, plies kids with alcohol and sleeps with them - who are you kidding ! - if it was the man down the road his feet would'nt touch the ground.

Still I expect he'll get away with it - no wonder we have such an horrific 'booming trade' in paedophillia - makes me mad

Yvonne

TTS has a dalmatian dog called Thomas .. ;)

I believe he is guilty, why else would you pay off the first child that went to press charges... If you were not guilty then nothing to hide, right? Why would he have an alarm set just before his bedroom, come on do you really need an alarm by your bedroom unless you have soemthing to hide. They found finger prints of his as well as the boy on a porno mag... Sharing a bed I would really be put off, then again I would NEVER have let my child spend the night or be alone unless I was present. He's 45 years old, lots of things happen in people's pass and frankly to use that for an excuse to me is just a cough up... If someone was molested as a child does not give them the right to molest someone themselves, they are old enough to no that it is wrong... It's just sick and because he has money should not make a difference for his outcome...

They have not reached a vedict yet...

As for his kids I was wondering do they have the same mother? Just curious cause I know Micheal is African Amarican and all his kids are white... I know some people were one is white as well and the children came out african american... Do you really think these children are his or did he pay this lady to give them to him? Just find it weird that they all came out white, maybe just me I don't know.... One of my good friends her hubby is aboriginal and her son is way more aboriginal then white, he's as cute as can be with big blue eye's.

I have only seen his childrens faces briefly and they do look white. Is this why he covers thier faces? One thing I could tell - Although his sons hair is almost white blonde, you could see black roots coming through. Surely the way he is bringing up his children should amount to some form of mental abuse. Face masks (no other celebrities resort to this, it just draws attention to them), hanging god knows who's baby from a  balcony, these children should be taken away from him. To those who say they shouldn't - lets see how they turn out as adults, I think they will find it very hard to adjust to the real world that they have been hidden from. These poor children only see the real world from behind masks and veils, if your next door neighbour paraded her children this way, social sevices would be called in.
If he is found innocent of the crimes he is charged with, social workers should look closely at his childrens upbringing. I hope to god this man is found guilty - he is sick.

Being mentally unbalanced isn't yet a crime ...

You're right, being mentally unbalanced isn't a crime, but when your state of mind is inflicted upon others, especially children, something must be done about it. I read in the paper the other day that a woman who was 'mental unstable' decided to put her 2 week old baby on the cooker hob and then turn it on. Obviously the baby didn't survive, and obviously this happened because the mother was 'mentally imbalanced'. This poor baby suffered because of her mothers 'illness'. She is guilty of the act she committed, not guilty of the state of her mind.

The supposed mother of the two oldest children is his wife Debbie, who's white.

I too find the way his children are being raised very disturbing - judging purely on the edited material I've seen and read about - and I also wonder whether the parents who allow their children to stay overnight in this way should be investigated too?

>They have not reached a vedict yet...

The most pertinent comment in this thread.

Not read the rest of this but if a man of his age allowed children to sleep in the same bed although not doing anything I think people would feel totally different.  There would be uproar and many people would want them to go to prison and throw away the key.

I also think that he has some mental health problems and that he needs help, maybe prison isn't the right place for him, but his actions are not that of a "normal" person. 

If it was the man next door to you, would he get away with it, even though he's done nothing sexually?  I don't think so.

This man hides behind his Peter Pan persona. This is his 'get out of jail card'. "How can I be guilty if I am Peter Pan?" - Yeah right, don't remember Peter Pan with a glass of jesus juice in one hand and a porno mag in the other. Apparantly Alice Cooper thinks he should have a special jail built for him, as he doesn't think he would be able to handle a 'normal' prison. Whatever the outcome there will be some serious changes to his life. There will be no more hiding behind Peter Pan or even Bart Simpson.

I believe he is guilty, why else would you pay off the first child that went to press charges[/]

Hmmm...makes me wonder what type of parents would accept a big pay off and leave someone who allegedly abused their son to do it again. I don't think you can compare it - perhaps he paid them off to avoid a media circus trial like this one? Perhaps he thinks money is the answer to everything?

I don't know whether he has done it or not - but what I do know is that the parents of those children allowed to stay with him have a LOT to answer for!

Chloe, I totally agree about the parents - BUT, if Michael Jackson wasn't the person that he is - none of this would have happened in the first place. We don't have any other high profile 'stars' (yuck - I can't stand all this hero worshipping of these people anyway) having children to stay like this  :( (At least, if they do, we never hear of it)
Daisy

I can't think of any other "stars" (and I agree entirely with your sentiments there!) who have built themselves a theme park and zoo in the back garden. The real cynic in me wonders if its because he wants to attract children - the more charitable side wonders if its because he lost his own childhood. I think i remember him going to Alton Towers overnight on his own and going on all the rides - when the park was shut to other visitors. Bit sad really to have to live ones life like that.