New accuser says Michael Jackson trained him to lie about abuse
A close friend of Michael Jackson
who had testified in defense of
the late pop king at his child sex
abuse trial said on Thursday that
the singer had intimidated and
brainwashed him into lying about
years of sexual activity with him.
"It was complete manipulation
(by Jackson) and brainwashing,"
choreographer Wade Robson told
NBC's "Today" show. "He would
role play and train me for these
(court) scenarios."
Robson, 30, filed a creditor's
claim under seal against Jackson's
estate earlier this month alleging
he had been sexually abused by
the singer from age 7 to 14.
He made his claim against the
singer's estate nearly four years
after Jackson's sudden death in
June 2009 from a lethal dose of
surgical anesthetic propofol.
Robson, an Australian native, was
a child dance prodigy and
developed a friendship with
Jackson, appearing in some of the
singer's music videos in the early
1990s and sleeping over at
Jackson's Neverland Ranch home
in Southern California.
"From day one of the abuse,
Michael told me that we loved
each other and that this was love,
that this was an expression of our
love," Robson said. "And he
would follow that up with, 'But if
you ever tell anyone what we're
doing, both of our lives and
careers will be over.'"
Jackson was tried and acquitted in
2005 on molestation charges
involving another minor. Robson
testified at that trial in defense of
the singer and also defended him
during a 1993 criminal
investigation into child sex abuse
allegations.
The attorney for Jackson's estate
said Robson's claim "is
outrageous and pathetic."
"This is a young man who has
testified at least twice under oath
over the past 20 years and said in
numerous interviews that Michael
Jackson never did anything
inappropriate to him or with
him," Jackson attorney Howard
Weitzman said.
Robson, who has worked as a
choreographer for pop singer
Britney Spears, said the birth of
his son two years ago triggered
abuse-related nervous
breakdowns and spurred him to
speak out.
"For the first time in my life, I
began to realize that my
completely numb and unexplored
feelings in relationship to what
Michael did to me might be a
problem," he said.
Jackson's estate is in the process
of settling dozens of claims from
creditors and others who had
dealings with him during his long
career.
An unrelated wrongful death suit,
brought by Jackson's family
against concert promoter AEG
Live, is in its third week of trial in
