Michael Jackson accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who finally get dated by the court for a trial, talked about the singer's molestation in a four-hour-long HBO documentary, Leaving Neverland.
Jackson, according to Robson, allegedly started assaulting him sexually when he was 7 years old in 1990 and kept doing so for seven years. When Safechuck was 10 years old, the claimed sexual assault started in Paris and lasted for four years, until 1992.
The 37-page decision also outlines the claims made by Robson and Safechuck that MJJ Productions employees helped Jackson seduce and sexually abuse minors while covering it up.
According to the verdict, Jackson's staff members also put in place procedures that permitted the singer to be alone with kids, some of whom spent the night in Jackson's bedroom many times each week. Employees allegedly discovered Robson's and Safechuck's pants next to his bed on the floor.
When Jackson was originally accused in 1993 of sexually abusing Jordan Chandler, a 13-year-old boy, Robson, and Safechuck were ardent Jackson loyalists. Jackson reached an out-of-court settlement with the Chandler family for an estimated $25 million. Robson states in Leaving Neverland: "I was excited by the idea of being able to defend him. And being able to save him."
When Jackson was on trial for comparable accusations of abusing 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo in 2005, Robson testified in Jackson's defence. Jackson was found not guilty by a jury.
At the age of 22, Robson testified in court that although he spent the night in Jackson's bed, neither man had ever abused the other. Robson claimed he lied in court years afterwards.
Prosecutors reportedly intended to include Safechuck, who had testified in Jackson's defence in the 1993 lawsuit, as one of the singer's alleged victims. He was, however, disqualified by the prosecution as a prospective victim after declining to take part in the 2005 trial. Later, Safechuck said he had lied to the prosecution in 1993.
Jackson reportedly became enraged when Safechuck informed him he didn't want to testify, according to the documentary. Safechuck claimed that he told his mother that Jackson was "not a good person" and that, because of his problems, he didn't want to get involved in the case. He stated that he asked his mother not to tell anyone else, and she promised to defend him.
According to reports, Safechuck first encountered his hero when he was a little boy in the late 1980s. He appeared in a Jackson-starring Pepsi commercial in 1987, and the two remained in touch after that. By 1988, Safechuck had become a regular travel companion for the musician, joining him for six months during the Bad Tour.
In Jackson’s hotel room, he allegedly told Safechuck that he "was going to change his life by showing him how to masturbate," before showing on himself, and then coaching him to try.
The suit alleges that the sexual acts were told to him as a way of "showing love," and that Jackson "kissed his genitals," and had the child "rub and suck Jackson's nipples as he masturbated," among many other sexual acts, the suit claims.
Jackson allegedly staged a mock wedding and gave Safechuck repeated orders to refute any claims of abuse and maintain their relationship's secrecy. Jackson allegedly started to develop feelings for another younger kid when Safechuck was about 12 years old and started preparing him for a breakup at that point.
Robson, who was summoned up on stage during a concert in Brisbane, Australia in 1987, was a young boy when he first encountered Jackson. The young admirer, who was 5 years old, dazzled the crowd with a flawless rendition of the "Smooth Criminal" dance.
After the event, Jackson brought Robson and his mother Joy up to his hotel room and advised them to get in touch if they ever came back to the United States, according to Robson's account in the documentary.
