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SANTA MARIA, California (CNN) -- Michael Jackson's former long-time housekeeper Thursday described Neverland Ranch as a place where children "became wild" during long stays without their parents, drank alcohol in Jackson's presence and often slept with the pop star, instead of in their assigned guest rooms.
Testifying in Jackson's child molestation trial, Kiki Fournier also said Jackson would focus his attention on particular children -- all of whom were boys between 10 and 15 years old.
Fournier worked at the Jackson home for 10 years before leaving in September 2003.
Among the boys she listed as having received special attention from Jackson were his accuser, the boy's younger brother and movie star McCauley Culkin.
Fournier said she coined the phrase "Pinocchio's Pleasure Island" to refer to the atmosphere at Neverland, where she said children stayed for weeks at a time without their parents and were given "free rein."
"With the absence of authority figures, these children became wild," Fournier said. Jackson's child guests were allowed to watch movies, eat as much candy and stay up as late as they wanted, and they often became "pretty rambunctious," she said.
However, Fournier said she did sometimes see Jackson discipline the children when they got "too rowdy."
"He'd tell them to behave," she said.
Fournier also said that on three or four occasions, she saw children she believed were intoxicated in Jackson's presence.
She described one of those incidents, shortly before she left the ranch in September 2003, in which Jackson and four or five kids were at the dinner table. At least three of them appeared to be intoxicated, she said.
Fournier also said that overnight guests at Neverland were given assigned guest rooms, but "a lot of the time, they'd stay with Mr. Jackson."
"The beds weren't slept in when you went to clear the room," she said.
Taking the stand Thursday, Fournier indicated that she was a very reluctant witness against her former employer.
"I don't want to have anything to do with this," said Fournier, who left Neverland about six months after Jackson is accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy while they were sleeping alone together at Neverland.
Fournier also described Jackson as a "very detail-oriented" person who usually communicated with her through the ranch's manager. However, she said he would at times communicate with her directly.
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link
http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/17/j...rial/index.html
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