Mothers heap praise on 'trustworthy' Jackson

Michael Jackson was a loving, pure and generous person who would never dream of sexually abusing children, two mothers testified today.

Joy Robson and Marie Barnes, both Australians, dismissed allegations that the pop star had molested their young sons, heaping praise on the singer they got to know more than 10 years ago.

Mrs Robson, whose son Wade denies being abused, claimed Jackson’s love for children was “very pure”.

“I feel like he’s a member of my family,” she told Santa Maria court, California. “I trust him. I trust him with my children.”

A former Neverland maid had told the court she once saw Jackson and Robson showering together.

Robson, 22, met the singer when he was five and stayed at Neverland more than 20 times. He has testified that he slept in Jackson’s bedroom on all but three or four of those visits but insists Jackson never touched him in a sexual way.

His mother described Neverland as “the happiest place on Earth” and somewhere that “helped you forget all your problems”.

She accused the mother of original Jackson accuser Jordy Chandler, who won a multi-million dollar settlement from Jackson in 1993, of being a “gold-digger”.

Mrs Barnes, whose son Brett has also vehemently denied being abused, said she trusted Jackson “implicitly”. “He’s a very nice person,” she said. “You just know when you can trust someone.”

Her family got to know Jackson when her son sent him a fan letter, she said. Asked whether she ever suspected the pop star of molesting the boy, she replied: “Never.”

Barnes has testified that he stayed with Jackson at least 10 times as a young child. Asked if he had ever been touched inappropriately, he said: “Never, I wouldn’t stand for it.”

Before the prosecution wrapped up its case this week, several witnesses claimed to have seen the pop star inappropriately touch young boys including Barnes, Robson and actor Macaulay Culkin.

Jackson’s lawyer, Tom Mesereau, has pledged to stage a mini-trial to counter each allegation, which are said to have occurred several years before he met his current accuser.

Jackson, 46, denies molesting the 13-year-old boy, plying him with alcohol and conspiring to hold him and his family captive. The trial was adjourned until Monday.