Judge promises Jackson a fair trial
6 minutes ago U.S. National - AFP
SANTA MARIA, United States (AFP) - The judge in Michael Jackson's child molestation case promised the superstar a fair trial despite the media glare, and ordered potential jurors to reveal any biases.
Judge Rodney Melville made the pledge as the "King of Pop" faced a group of more than 100 potential panellists as lawyers began individually grilling the people who will decide his fate.
"I can assure all of you there will be a fair trial here, based on me being the judge," Melville told the court before rival lawyers began questioning the prospective jurors on their possible relationships to Jackson.
"I am neither bought or paid for, nor have I made up my mind and I would like a jury that feels the same way," the no-nonsense judge told the panellists.
"We expect the same honesty from you (that) we expect from witnesses once the evidence part of the trial gets going," he said.
Melville read a condensed version of the 10 charges against the 46-year-old star to the jury, warning them that the fact he had been charged molesting a 13-year-old boy did not mean he was guilty.
"You'll have to decide if the defendant's guilt has been proved beyond reasonable doubt" on each of the counts, he said. "The fact he has been charged is not evidence of anything."
The judge asked the first group picked from among around 250 potential jurors if there was any of them thought they could not assure Jackson a faire trial because of the nature of the charges because of the massive publicity afforded the case. None raised a hand.
But two of the citizens of California's Santa Barbara County summoned in the case said they could not be sure of their impartiality, with one saying she had been falsely accused in another matter.
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