Court Session 2: Martin Bashir Summoned and “Living with Michael Jackson” Shown to the Jury

The work schedule for the second main day of Michael Jackson’s trial included showing the documentary “Living with Michael Jackson” to the jury members, and then summoning Martin Bashir—the producer of the documentary—as a witness. At the outset, defense attorney Thomas Mesereau presented statements denying the allegations against Michael. " Michael will tell you that once, in Neverland, he felt very bad. When the current complainant’s mother suddenly takes Michael’s hand and instructs her children to take Michael’s hands, kneel, and pray together with their “father, Michael Jackson.” Mesereau also said, “Mr. Jackson freely admits that from time to time he read those magazines. Of course he didn’t show them to the children.” Mesereau said that the complainant and his brother were sometimes not controllable, and read magazines without Michael’s permission and entered the storage area of alcoholic drinks. Then prosecutor Tom Sneddon called Martin Bashir to the witness stand. When Mesereau asked Martin Bashir how many hours of this documentary were recorded but not shown, Bashir did not answer the question. He refused to answer questions 30 times. Mesereau said he intends to summon Martin Bashir again as a witness for the defense attorneys. The judge said that after Mesereau explains the reason for this, he would allow Bashir to be summoned to the witness stand. After that, the documentary “Living with Michael Jackson” was shown to the jury. Part of the documentary shows Michael Jackson together with the current complainant, hand in hand. In this segment, Michael says he allows the children to stay at his home at night. The complainant describes Michael in the documentary as: “He’s really like a kid.” The complainant also rejects any improper acts by Jackson. In an interview with Martin Bashir, he says that Michael allowed him and his brother to sleep in his bedroom, but told them that if they loved him, they should sleep in the bed. However, Michael himself fell asleep on the floor inside a sleeping bag. In the film, the complainant’s sister breaks down crying while describing her brother’s illness and how much Michael helped them. Elsewhere, the complainant’s mother says that no one had been willing to help them until Jackson accepted them into his home. She also says she was upset by the media’s actions to make Michael Jackson look bad. “It breaks my heart because they’re missing out on enjoying something beautiful. It’s due to jealousy and the lack of happiness in their own lives.” Jackson and Bashir sat far from each other. Both were forced to watch the documentary and exchanged angry looks repeatedly. On later occasions, Martin Bashir tried to avoid meeting Michael’s gaze, which he would sometimes fix on him. When, at the beginning of the documentary, the song “Billie Jean” played, Michael Jackson began nodding his head along with the song’s rhythm. He showed the jury that he is still Michael Jackson and did not bow in deference to the accusations—remaining respectfully calm during the legal sessions of the court, especially while his song was playing. When “Thriller” played, Michael danced in his seat along with it. Even more than that, on the day of the first court sessions last year, he had staged a display on the roof of his car in the courthouse grounds. While watching part of the documentary in which he states, “The children are the reason for my life,” Michael Jackson quietly wiped his eyes with a tissue. Seeing a scene from the documentary in which Michael tries to teach his dance to him, Martin Bashir burst into laughter. When Michael in the documentary talked about his former hatred toward his father, Katherine Jackson, Michael’s mother, swallowed her saliva. When Michael explained to Bashir how his father beat him with a whip and a belt, Katherine rubbed her forearm with a tense expression. But Katherine Jackson laughed when Michael explained how his father mocked him for his facial pimples—perhaps steering her thoughts toward a not-so-trouble-free past. During the airing of the documentary, some jury members leaned forward to watch it more carefully. Some of them smiled or laughed when they saw scenes related to Michael’s jokes. Several of them shook their heads along with the music of Michael Jackson that was playing in the documentary. When the documentary showed a scene of Michael leaving the hotel while saying, “Smile while your heart is broken,” some of these members smiled. Thomas Mesereau admitted that Michael Jackson might also be called to the witness stand. Michael’s spokesperson later said that no decision has been made on this yet. For now, Michael’s name is not on the list of witnesses for the defense attorneys. At the end of this session, the prosecutor summoned several other witnesses to the stand. As Jackson left the courthouse, he told reporters he felt “good,” but was “angry.” Michael thanked the reporters and left. Source: eMJey.com / Yahoo News, CNN, NBC, Associated Press