World watches as Jackson goes on trial

MICHAEL JACKSON, the once undisputed King of Pop, goes on trial today charged with child sex abuse in a case that is expected to attract an audience of billions.

Jackson, 46, strenuously denies abusing a 13-year-old cancer patient after plying him with alcohol at his Neverland Ranch in California. If convicted, father-of-three Jackson faces a maximum of 21 years in prison.

The case comes 11 years after Jackson paid another 13-year-old boy, who also alleged sex abuse at the hands of the star, a reported €20 million settlement.