Jackson given ‘anaesthetic’ to aid sleep

MICHAEL Jackson’s doctor gave him a powerful anaesthetic through an intravenous drip to help him sleep, and authorities believe the drug caused the pop singer’s death, a law enforcement official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said Jackson regularly received the anaesthetic Propofol and relied on it like an alarm clock.

A doctor would administer it when Jackson went to sleep, then stop the IV drip when the singer wanted to wake up.

On June 25, the day Jackson died, Dr Conrad Murray gave him the drug through an IV sometime after midnight, the official said.

Murray’s lawyer, Edward Chernoff, has said the doctor “didn’t prescribe or administer anything that should have killed Michael Jackson”.

When asked about the law enforcement official’s statements he said: “We will not be commenting on rumours, innuendo or unnamed sources.”

Toxicology reports are still pending, but investigators are working under the theory that Propofol caused Jackson’s heart to stop, the official said. Jackson is believed to have been using the drug for about two years, and investigators are trying to determine how many other doctors administered it, the official said.

Using propofol to sleep exceeds the drug’s intended purpose. The drug can depress breathing and lower heart rates and blood pressure. Because of the risks, Propofol is supposed to be administered only in medical settings by trained personnel.

Murray, 51, has been identified in court papers as the subject of a manslaughter investigation, and authorities last week raided his office and a storage unit in Houston. Police say Murray is co-operating and have not labelled him a suspect.

Murray became Jackson’s personal physician in May and was to accompany him to London for a series of concerts there.

He was staying in Jackson’s Los Angeles mansion and, according to Chernoff, “happened to find” an unconscious Jackson in the pop star’s bedroom the morning of June 25.

The official said Jackson’s room was outfitted with oxygen tanks and an IV drip. Another of Jackson’s bedrooms had clothes strewn about and handwritten notes stuck on the walls. He said one read: “Children are sweet and innocent.”