Jackson jurors may have mocked molestation witness

Jurors in the Michael Jackson molestation case were apparently overheard laughing at a remark that might have been mocking a witness, although no court action was expected.

“It is an unsubstantiated rumour and there is no investigation,” court administrator Darrel Parker said. Jurors are strictly barred from talking about cases before they begin deliberating.

On Monday, a 24-year-old Jason Francia tearfully testified that Jackson touched his groin area over his clothes on two occasions in the late 1980s and under his clothes in 1990, each time while tickling him.

Robert Cole, a reporter for the Sky British satellite TV station, said that as he walked past an area where jurors were taking a break behind a covered fence, he heard one juror mimicking someone crying, and others laughing.

“All I heard was, ’He was like uh-huh-huh (imitating a crying sound)’ and then I heard laughter. It sounded like they had just heard this kid crying and they were kind of laughing at what had happened, mimicking him. I didn’t hear any names or anything. … I don’t know if they were talking about him or not.”

As Cole’s account circulated through the media, it turned into a story where reporters supposedly overheard a juror say: “Oh boohoo, Michael Jackson tickled me.” But Cole said he did not hear jurors use Jackson’s name and was not sure they were talking about the case.

Cole said another reporter also heard the conversation. That reporter declined to comment.

Jackson defence lawyer Brian Oxman declined to comment, citing a gag order in the case.

Prosecutors presented Francia on Monday in an attempt to show Jackson has a pattern of molesting boys and to lend credence to the singer’s current accuser. Jackson, 46, is accused of molesting a boy in 2003 and plying him with alcohol.

Jackson and his lawyer, Thomas Mesereau, were scheduled to return to court today after taking advantage of an off-day in the trial to attend the funeral of Johnnie Cochran, who represented Jackson in a 1994 settlement to dismiss a molestation lawsuit.