The Man Who Started It All Won't Testify

Michael Jackson Forum

Journalist shuns Jackson testimony

SANTA MARIA, California: A television journalist has asked a judge to deny a request by prosecutors for him to testify at Michael Jackson's child molestation trial.

Martin Bashir's 2003 documentary prompted an outcry after Jackson said on camera that he continued to sleep in the same room as young boys. Bashir, who now works for ABC News, was called by prosecutors to testify about other things the pop star said that may not have made the two-hour documentary's final cut.

But Bashir said in a motion filed on Tuesday that his work "speaks for itself" and that under California's shield law, journalists cannot be forced to testify about what they observe while reporting a story.

Jackson is scheduled to face trial on January 31. Prosecutors are also asking that testimony from child witnesses be conducted in secret.

- Gulf Daily News

I think if Martin Bashir had anything to show us from his time with Michael, he would have put it in the documentary.

Yeah, I'd say that's true.

Bashir A Government Witness In Jacko Trial?

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Journalist's 2003 documentary helped trigger molestation probe

JANUARY 11--The British journalist whose controversial 2003 Michael Jackson documentary helped trigger a criminal probe of the King of Pop has been subpoenaed to testify as a prosecution witness at the entertainer's upcoming criminal trial. The government's bid to get Martin Bashir on the stand was disclosed this afternoon in court filings unsealed by Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville.

In one of those documents, Melville termed Bashir a "necessary material witness" with regard to the production, editing, and broadcast of his devastating documentary "Living with Michael Jackson." During that program, Jackson spoke about sharing his Neverland Ranch bedroom with various boys and was filmed cuddling with the teenager who has accused him of molestation. According to the unsealed material, Bashir was served with a subpoena January 4 in New York, where he now works as a correspondent for the ABC newsmagazine "20/20."

One unsealed document, a copy of which you'll find below, describes the Santa Barbara District Attorney's anticipated travel arrangements for Bashir. According to the December 21 declaration by Shamra Limon, a D.A.'s victim/witness assistant, prosecutors want Bashir to arrive in Santa Maria on March 1, and estimate that he may spend ten days (travel included) on the prosecution's dime.

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- The Smoking Gun

20 bucks a day with free room and airfares? I wanna be a witness!

Jurors to see controversial Bashir film

Jurors in the Michael Jackson child sex abuse case will be shown the British documentary which triggered the investigation. Judge Rodney Melville dismissed objections from Jackson's legal team yesterday, ruling that the explosive interview, presented by Martin Bashir, should be shown in court.

Living With Michael Jackson was broadcast by ITV1 in February 2003 and watched by more than 14 million British viewers. During the interview Jackson holds hands with the boy as he admits, and staunchly defends, letting boys sleep in his bedroom.

The decision was made at the final pre-trial hearing yesterday before the Thriller star's long-anticipated case kicks off on Monday.

Jackson's team claimed the documentary was an inflammatory distortion edited in a sensationalist 'Hollywood' fashion.

"They couldn't have come up with something more inflammatory if in their dreams they were permitted to do so," the star's lawyer, Thomas Mesereau, said. "The documentary is a highly-edited, dramatised, provocative piece of material."

Judge Melville also ruled that the teenage cancer victim at the centre of the allegations must testify in public. He dismissed prosecution calls to shield the boy, now 15, from the world's media at Santa Maria court in California.

More sordid details also emerged about the evidence seized from Jackson's Neverland ranch, described as "erotic" by prosecutors.

The material, which will be shown to jurors, includes dozens of adult-oriented books, magazines and DVDs, one containing the fingerprints of Jackson and his accuser.

Judge Melville said most of the proposed evidence could be used in the trial but warned the prosecution not refer to the material as pornography, obscenity or erotic. Instead, the words "adult" or "sexually explicit" must be used, he said.

The 50 items seized in 2003 include graphic sexual material that is heterosexual and homosexual in nature, it emerged. The material also includes nude photos of models who may have been 18 but looked much younger, the court heard.

Mr Mesereau will argue that Jackson took the item containing fingerprints off the boy to lock up.

Jackson, 46, has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges, including child molestation and an alleged plot to kidnap and falsely imprison the boy and his family.

- Daily Mail

I think Bashir has done enough damage, the whole "special" was just him soft balling questions to MJ, not to help his image(MJ), but to ultimately make him look like a fool.

THE RELUCTANT WITNESS

British journalist Martin Bashir has been the first person to give evidence at Michael Jackson's child sex abuse trial in California.

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He tried to refuse to answer questions about the filming of his documentary 'Living with Michael Jackson' but was over-ruled by the judge.

As Mr Bashir entered the courtroom, Jackson pointed at him, smiled and mouthed "It's Martin, it's Martin."

The jury then watched Mr Bashir's programme, which had led to the court case.

It showed the 46-year-old pop star holding hands with a 13-year-old boy and admitting he regularly shared his bed with children.

Jackson is accused of abusing the boy - cancer sufferer Gavin Arviso - after plying him with vodka and showing him porn.

The defence sought to question Mr Bashir's journalistic credentials.

But he refused to answer question after question, and Jackson's lawyer Thomas Mesereau repeatedly asked the judge to strike his film from evidence and find Mr Bashir guilty of contempt of court.

However, Mr Bashir did concede he had been the object of three complaints to Britain's journalism watchdog, one of which was upheld.

"Basically, I was accused of not representing the entirety of what I was doing to the person," said Mr Bashir, who is blamed by Jackson's camp for stirring up what they say are false allegations against the star.

"Kind of what you've been accused of here?" Mr Mesereau replied.

The prosecution has alleged that Gavin's then 11-year-old brother had seen Jackson touching his sibling inappropriately and that Jackson had showed the boy pornographic magazines and websites.

But concluding his opening address to the jury earlier, Mr Mesereau said that investigators had found no DNA evidence that Jackson had abused Gavin.

He also claimed the boys had memorised security codes to gain access to Jackson's bedroom, had broken into his wine cellar and had helped themselves to the singer's collection of porn magazines.

Mr Mesereau said Jackson would "freely admit that he does read girlie magazines from time to time," but said he "absolutely does not show them to children".

The defence claims the boy's mother has made a habit of using her son to try to extort money from a number of stars.

The singer strenuously denies the 10 charges against him.

The trial continues.

- Sky News