Michael Jackson says he was mistreated during his recent arrest on child molestation charges, and that the police search of his Neverland ranch so violated his privacy that he will never live there again.
In his first interview since his arrest -- broadcast on Sunday on the CBS network -- Jackson also vehemently denied all the charges, while still insisting that he saw nothing wrong in sharing his bed with a child.
Describing his surrender to the authorities last month, Jackson said he was "manhandled very roughly" by police whom he accused of deliberately handcuffing him in a vicious way, hurting his wrists, arms and back.
"My shoulder is dislocated, literally. It's hurting me very badly. I'm in pain all the time," he said.
"Now I can't move. It keeps me from sleeping at night," he said.
He also accused police of locking him in a feces-smeared rest room and taunting him.
"There was doo-doo, feces thrown all over the walls, the floor, the ceiling. And it stunk so bad," he said.
"Then one of the policemen came by the window. And he made a sarcastic remark. He said, `Smell -- does it smell good enough for you in there? How do you like the smell?' And I just simply said, `It's alright. It's okay.' So I just sat there and waited," Jackson said.
During the interview, which was taped on Christmas Day in a Los Angeles hotel room, Jackson appeared wary and strained, and on several occasions questioning was interrupted by his lawyer whose voice could be heard off-screen.
"What time is it?" Jackson said at one point, breaking off from the interview to talk to an assistant.
"I'm hurting. I don't feel good," he said.
Jackson, 45, is charged with seven counts of molesting a boy under the age of 14 and two counts of plying him with alcohol beforehand.
Each of the child molestation charges carries a jail sentence of between three and eight years on conviction, while those of administering an intoxicating agent to a minor carry a maximum sentence of three years each.
Currently free on US$3 million bail, Jackson is due to appear in court on Jan. 16 for an arraignment at which he could enter a plea.
During the police search of his ranch for evidence, Jackson said his bedroom had been "totally trashed," and that the police had cut open his mattress with knives.
"I won't live there ever again," he said.
"It's a house now. It's not a home anymore. I'll only visit," he said.
Denying all the charges of molestation, Jackson said he would rather slit his own wrists than harm a child.
"I would never hurt a child. It's totally false. I was outraged," Jackson said.
"When I see children, I see the face of God," he said.
But asked if, in his current circumstances, he thought it was acceptable to share his bed with children, Jackson replied: "Of course. Why not?
"If you're going to be a pedophile, if you're going to be Jack the Ripper, if you're going to be a murderer, it's not a good idea. That, I am not," he said.
"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 OK. I am not doing anything sexual to a child," he said.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to