Jackson to call stars in his defence

SANTA MARIA, CALIFORNIA - Michael Jackson's lawyer has told a court he plans to call a star-studded list of witnesses to defend the singer against child molestation charges, including basketball's Kobe Bryant, actress Elizabeth Taylor and "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno.

Lead Jackson attorney Tom Meserau recited his list of proposed witnesses as jury selection resumed in the high-profile case in which the 46-year-old pop star is accused of sexually molesting a then 13-year-old boy who lived at his Neverland Valley Ranch in central California.

Meserau's list included the boy who accuses Jackson and members of the youth's family. He also said he would call singers Nick Carter, Stevie Wonder, Barry Gibb and Diana Ross, comedian Chris Tucker, talk show hosts Larry King and Maury Povich and lifestyle guru Deepak Chopra.

Bryant, a star player for the Los Angeles Lakers, has legal problems of his own. He has been sued in civil court for rape by a Colorado woman who says he attacked her in 2003 in a Vail-area hotel. Bryant has said the two had consensual sex, and criminal charges against him were dropped last September after the woman decided she did not want to proceed.

Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville called 100 potential jurors into his courtroom and asked Jackson, dressed in a black suit and red shirt and vest, to stand and face them.

The pop star waved at the jurors when he stood up.

Then the 10 charges against Jackson were read out to the potential jurors and the judge asked, "Is there any juror here who because of the nature of the charges does not feel you can give Mr Jackson a fair trial." No one raised a hand.

Jackson is charged in a 10-count Santa Barbara County Grand Jury indictment with molesting a boy at Neverland and with conspiring to commit child abduction, extortion and false imprisonment. He has pleaded not guilty.

One 82-year-old man was excused after he said his health would not hold up in a trial expected to last six months.

The judge questioned jurors on what they had seen in the news on the case and most of them said they were familiar with press coverage but would put that aside and judge the case solely on its evidence.

But one woman said she had read and seen everything on the case but did not know if she could put it aside. The judge said, "We will get back to you."

Judge Melville, who two weeks ago settled on a pool of about 240 people able to serve on a six-month trial, summoned more than 100 potential jurors to the courthouse in Santa Maria for formal jury selection.

Melville must swear in 12 jurors to sit through the trial and ultimately decide Jackson's fate. The judge also wants eight alternates for any jurors dismissed during the sensational trial.

With Jackson watching from the defence table, prosecutors and defence attorneys will take turns questioning members of the jury pool.

The lawyers will be guided in part by a seven-page questionnaire, filled out by all 242 pool members, which revealed that many of the jury candidates have heard about the case and many have friends or family who know Jackson.

Legal experts say jury selection -- which many lawyers believe can often determine if a trial is won or lost -- may be especially critical in the Jackson case and complicated by the singer's worldwide fame.

Both sides must be wary of so-called "stealth" jurors who may have an agenda to convict or acquit Jackson and may be less than candid during selection because they want to be on the jury.

Some legal experts saw red flags when more than half of those summoned to the Jackson trial said they were willing and able to serve, a remarkably high number for a child molestation case that was expected to last six months.

Legal experts say prosecutors will look for jurors who are older, conservative, less taken with celebrity, willing to accept authority and appalled by child molestation.

Jackson's attorneys may look for more liberal jurors who have advanced degrees and are critical thinkers who question authority.

- REUTERS