Jackson jury told of abuse claims
A psychologist who was the first person to hear the abuse claims by Michael Jackson's young accuser has taken the stand at the pop star's trial.
Stan Katz, whose evidence is believed to be pivotal, said he interviewed Gavin Arvizo and his brother to see if they had "possibly been abused".
He was questioned about his ties to a lawyer who represented another young accuser of Michael Jackson in 1993.
The star denies 10 charges, including child abuse and false imprisonment.
Mr Katz said he interviewed the teenage boy - as well as his brother, sister and mother - because he had appeared in a TV documentary and was "possibly molested".
It was during his interviews in May and June 2003 that Gavin Arvizo made the first claims of sexual abuse against Michael Jackson. These were reported to the authorities by Mr Katz.
Contradictory claim
Under cross-examination, Mr Katz was questioned about his links to a lawyer who had represented another teenage boy who made similar claims against Mr Jackson in 1993 and won a $20m settlement.
Earlier, the prosecution had resumed questioning flight attendant Cynthia Bell who had flown with Mr Jackson, Gavin Arvizo and his family from Miami to California in 2003.
She said that though she had served wine to the star in a can, she never saw the boy or any other children drink from it.
When asked if she had seen Mr Jackson cuddle Gavin, she said: "I wouldn't say cuddle. He had his arm around him at times while listening to music."
On Tuesday, the man who first introduced Michael Jackson to Gavin Arvizo said the boy - who was then 13 and undergoing cancer treatment - had wanted to meet the star, who had agreed.
Jamie Masada, owner of the Laugh Factory comedy camp for underprivileged children, said the boy's mother had turned down a large sum of money, contradicting a claim by the defence that the family is motivated by money.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/4395639.stm

Published: 2005/03/30 21:43:13 GMT

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