Jackson: Prosecution to show 'pattern of seduction'

The prosecutor in the Michael Jackson child abuse case plans to present at least two weeks of testimony to a secret grand jury, including details of past claims against the pop star.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon will try to show “a pattern of seduction” in a case 11 years ago that was never prosecuted and the current action, in which Jackson is said to have molested a 12-year-old boy, said a source close to the case.

The boy, now 14, is expected to be the star witness, telling Los Angeles grand jurors why he and his family initially denied any wrongdoing by Jackson.

The defence is expected to say the child and his family belatedly made claims of sex abuse because they were rebuffed in an effort to get money from Jackson.

Candidates for the grand jury received summonses earlier this month instructing them to report tomorrow.

A spokesman with Tellem Worldwide, which handles public relations for Sneddon, said the prosecutor could not comment because of a court-imposed gag order in the case.

Witnesses receiving subpoenas for the grand jury include those who testified in 1993 before a grand jury looking into allegations against Jackson involving another boy. That grand jury never indicted and the case was abandoned when Jackson reached a financial settlement with the boy.

Jackson is charged with seven counts of committing lewd or lascivious acts upon a child under 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent to the child.