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Authorities cleared Jackson of wrongdoing before kiddie charges: report
53 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Police and child welfare officers earlier this year cleared superstar Michael Jackson (news) of suspicions of sexually abusing a young cancer victim, a document published by a US website claimed.
The smokinggun.com published what it said was a confidential memo showing that authorities in February probed claims that Jackson molested the same boy whose revelations are believed to have led to his arrest last month.
But the document, written on November 26 by a senior Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services official, said the claims made on a child abuse hotline were discovered to be "unfounded."
"The investigation by the Sensitive Case Unit concluded the allegations of neglect and sexual abuse to be unfounded both by the LAPD (news - web sites) (Los Angeles Police Department) and the (family services) Department," the memo written by the agency's assistant regional director Jennifer Hottenroth stated.
The memo was written to the bureau chief of the children and family services department exactly a week after Jackson dramatically turned himself in to police in Santa Barbara, California, to face multiple counts of "lewd and lascivious behaviour with a child under 14."
While authorities have not identified the alleged victim, media have widely reported that he is a 12-year-old boy who Jackson said he had slept in the same bed with in a television interview broadcast in February.
According to the memo, the official investigation into child sex allegations was prompted by a claims made to a hotline following the broadcast of the interview in the United States.
"As per the sexual abuse allegations, the mother stated that her children are never left alone with the entertainer," Hottenroth said in the leaked memo.
"She further stated that her son has slept in the same room as the entertainer but they did not share a bed. The entertainer would sleep on the floor," the memo said.
The memo also stated that the child was interviewed by authorities and had denied "any form of sexual abuse" and denied sleeping in the same bed as "the entertainer," who was not identified by name in the document.
Hottenroth said that her department had investigated allegations of child abuse in boy's own family in October 2001 as a result of domestic violence between his parents which resulted in "physical violence" by the father.
Media reports say that the parents of the boy allegedly at the centre of the latest accusations against Jackson that could see him jailed for up to eight years on each count have since divorced acrimoniously.
Jackson has strongly denied the allegations against him and his entourage has said the claims are a clear attempt to use the singer as a "lottery ticket" with which to cash in on his fortune.
The 45-year-old singer, who is free on three million dollars bail, is due to appear in court in Santa Barbara, near his Neverland Ranch, on January 9.
Authorities cleared Jackson of wrongdoing before kiddie charges: report
53 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Police and child welfare officers earlier this year cleared superstar Michael Jackson (news) of suspicions of sexually abusing a young cancer victim, a document published by a US website claimed.
The smokinggun.com published what it said was a confidential memo showing that authorities in February probed claims that Jackson molested the same boy whose revelations are believed to have led to his arrest last month.
But the document, written on November 26 by a senior Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services official, said the claims made on a child abuse hotline were discovered to be "unfounded."
"The investigation by the Sensitive Case Unit concluded the allegations of neglect and sexual abuse to be unfounded both by the LAPD (news - web sites) (Los Angeles Police Department) and the (family services) Department," the memo written by the agency's assistant regional director Jennifer Hottenroth stated.
The memo was written to the bureau chief of the children and family services department exactly a week after Jackson dramatically turned himself in to police in Santa Barbara, California, to face multiple counts of "lewd and lascivious behaviour with a child under 14."
While authorities have not identified the alleged victim, media have widely reported that he is a 12-year-old boy who Jackson said he had slept in the same bed with in a television interview broadcast in February.
According to the memo, the official investigation into child sex allegations was prompted by a claims made to a hotline following the broadcast of the interview in the United States.
"As per the sexual abuse allegations, the mother stated that her children are never left alone with the entertainer," Hottenroth said in the leaked memo.
"She further stated that her son has slept in the same room as the entertainer but they did not share a bed. The entertainer would sleep on the floor," the memo said.
The memo also stated that the child was interviewed by authorities and had denied "any form of sexual abuse" and denied sleeping in the same bed as "the entertainer," who was not identified by name in the document.
Hottenroth said that her department had investigated allegations of child abuse in boy's own family in October 2001 as a result of domestic violence between his parents which resulted in "physical violence" by the father.
Media reports say that the parents of the boy allegedly at the centre of the latest accusations against Jackson that could see him jailed for up to eight years on each count have since divorced acrimoniously.
Jackson has strongly denied the allegations against him and his entourage has said the claims are a clear attempt to use the singer as a "lottery ticket" with which to cash in on his fortune.
The 45-year-old singer, who is free on three million dollars bail, is due to appear in court in Santa Barbara, near his Neverland Ranch, on January 9.
