Living off the Wall - Rise and Fall of Michael Jackson

On Wednesday the 19th of November a warrant was issued for Jackson’s arrest and he faced multiple charges of child molestation. On the Tuesday there had been an authorized raid on his 'Neverland' ranch in California by local police. And the saga continued through the week as Jackson was arrested at Santa Barbara airport, was taken to the local county, charged, fingerprinted and photographed, before being released on bail (which reportedly cost him £2m). Jackson has publicly refuted the claims but only time will tell if the 'King of Pop' will be found guilty or not.

It's all a far cry from the 'Motown' days when as a child Michael achieved worldwide success as part of the family group, The Jackson 5. One member stood out above the rest, Jackson’s innocent 'babyface' and sweet,

Is Michael Jackson guilty of the charges brought against him? that is the question on practically everyone’s lips right now. The evidence against him is strong, especially as the scandal of 1993 is still fresh on peoples minds, especially now. I would discount the 1993 case however, as I refuse to believe that any parent could accept a payoff from the person who 'molested' their son. Surely no parent in their right mind would want to see the man who 'sexually abused' their very own child go to court and rot in hell as opposed to letting them escape charges and live in the normal world, free to abuse again. The 1993 case was simply an attempt by greedy parents to make money from their child’s relationship with a high profile celebrity. Which brings us to the ITV documentary.

I completely understand the concerns over Michael Jackson’s lifestyle and I too have concerns, especially regarding the upbringing of his children. But let me say a few things, first of all Michael Jackson is not a paedophile, I'm sure of it, looking and hearing the man, and taking into account the life he has had, leads me to believe that Jackson genuinely sees himself as a 'Mother Teresa' type figure who has the power to make children feel loved and heal any pains of theirs. Yes this is a ludicrous statement, and its as if Jackson (never one for self-depreciation) sees himself as a modern Christ, but this belief stems from his childhood, or indeed lack of one.

Allegations of sexual abuse were made against Jackson in 1993 by one of his young friend’s aged 13. Jackson furiously denied the allegations and an out of court settlement reportedly worth $20m dollars brought the charges to a halt. The media were unsuprisingly all over this story however and the scandal severely damaged Jackson’s reputation. Things didn't get any better for Jackson, while his Greatest Hits album ' HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book 1' (which also included new material) was a success, his subsequent marriage to Lisa Marie Pressley (daughter of Elvis) wasn't. Lasting merely 19 months the marriage was billed by sceptics as a publicity stunt set up to improve his tarnished public image. After mainly shying away from the public, with the exception of his marriage with nurse Debbie Rowe which spawned 2 children, Jackson made a disappointing return to music world in 2001 with the album

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