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.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
RSS