Posted on 12/29/2003 6:55:09 PM PST by yankeedame
Jacko blames money for charges
By Sophie Tedmanson
December 30, 2003
MICHAEL Jackson sees "the face of God" when he looks at children but he doesn't think of them in a sexual way.
Speaking publicly for the first time since being charged with the sexual molestation of a 13-year-old boy, the man who used to be known as the King of Pop told the 60 Minutes program in the US that he thinks there is nothing wrong with sharing his bed with children.
When asked if he, as a parent, would let his own three small children sleep in a bed or bedroom with a grown man who had the same kind of allegations against him, Jackson said: "Absolutely."
"If I knew the person personally," he said.
" 'Cause I know how ... people can twist the truth, if I knew the person personally, absolutely yes. I wouldn't have a problem with it.
"What's wrong with sharing your bed? I didn't say I slept in the bed. Even if I did sleep in the bed, it's okay.
"I am not going to do anything sexual to a child. It's not where my heart is. I would never do anything like that. That's not Michael Jackson ... my mind doesn't run that way. When I see children I see the face of God. That's why I love them so much."
Jackson, 45, denied the allegations by the boy, who met the entertainer while undergoing cancer treatment and was featured in the British documentary Living With Michael Jackson, broadcast around the world earlier this year. Jackson said the allegations were "totally false".
"Before I would hurt a child, I would slit my wrists," he told the program's Ed Bradley. Jackson, who was released on $US3 million ($4 million) bail two weeks ago, also claimed while in custody that he was manhandled by police who dislocated his shoulder and made him sit in a toilet for 45 minutes, which had "doo doo, faeces" on the walls.
Jackson said the allegations were fuelled by greed.
"The love of money is the root of all evil. And this is a sweet child. And to see him turn like this, this isn't him."
The interview aired on the CBS network in the US yesterday but apart from snippets on the local news and A Current Affair, a spokesperson for the Nine Network said there were no plans to screen it in full in Australia.
It's been an eventful few weeks for Jackson, who reportedly has married (for the third time) a "brilliant and stunning" 23-year-old Muslim pianist named Alisha.
Herald Sun
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