Michael Jackson Not Charged By Berlin Police For Baby Balcony Incident
11.22.2002
Michael Jackson and son Prince Michael II
Photo: CNN
"There is one rule for the rich and famous and one for ordinary mortals." — Katharina Abelmann-Vollmer, German child advocate
Despite outcry over Michael Jackson dangling his infant son over a hotel balcony during his visit to Germany, Berlin police say that they're not pursuing criminal charges against the pop star.
In Berlin to pick up a Bambi entertainment award, Jackson gave the world a rare — and controversial — glimpse of his children. He took the two oldest to the Berlin Zoo on Thursday, keeping them shielded from the public eye by red veils, but it was his interaction with the youngest, nine-month-old Prince Michael II, on Tuesday that prompted cries of child endangerment (see "Michael Jackson Calls Baby-Dangling Incident A 'Terrible Mistake' ").
Although a preliminary probe was launched to determine if the act constituted child endangerment or neglect, Berlin authorities said they are not opening an investigation into the matter. According to a spokesperson, the Berlin police received several calls expressing outrage, but no formal complaint was lodged.
German child welfare advocates, the Child Protection Association, were critical of this lack of prosecution, saying that Jackson was shielded from the law because of his celebrity status.
"When it is someone else other than Michael Jackson dangling their child above the street, there definitely would have been a prosecution," Katharina Abelmann-Vollmer of the German CPA told wire services. "There is certainly truth in the law that there is one rule for the rich and famous and one for ordinary mortals."
Jackson apologized for the incident late Tuesday via his lawyer. "I offer no excuses for what happened," his statement read. "I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children."
Jackson is due to return to California for his continuing testimony in a breach-of-contract trial (see "Jackson Late To Court As His Lawyers Object To Photographer"), which had been postponed for his trip to Germany.