Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Pool
Topics: Channel 4, Michael Jackson, Documentaries, Celebrity, US News
Callum Jones
Topics: Channel 4, Michael Jackson, Documentaries, Celebrity, US News
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
A new documentary allegedly details audio recordings of Michael Jackson reveals details of his controversial relationships with children.
Michael Jackson: The Trial, a docu-series releasing next week (February 4) on Channel 4 in the UK, looks into the singer's 2005 trial after he was arrested two years prior and indicted on ten counts, including lewd conduct with a minor, conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment, and extortion (involving a separate minor). They also claim to include some never-heard-before audio recordings of the late pop icon, some of which can be heard in the trailer below.
Gavin Arvizo claimed the king of pop watched porn with him, before he sexually abused him. Teenagers Wade Robson and James Safechuck appeared in the 2019 documentary, Leaving Neverland, where they detailed the alleged abuse they suffered at the hands of Jackson.
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The estate of the 'Thriller' hitmaker dismissed the film as 'yet another lurid production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in' on Jackson.
The 'Beat It' singer was in court in 2005 and was found not guilty of all charges.
Explaining the doc, Channel 4 say: "With exclusive new footage, unheard audio tapes and insiders from Jackson’s entourage and the police, this beautifully composed and gripping series narrates a tragic story of the decline of a genius and steps beyond the media circus of 'the trial of the century' to ask profound questions about fame, race, and the American justice system."
Previously unheard audio recordings include Jackson allegedly speaking about his relationships with children.
In one clip, he can he heard saying: "Children wanna just touch me and hug me...Kids end up falling in love with my personality. Sometimes it gets me into trouble."
Audio recordings also captured Jackson saying, according to the New York Post: "If you told me right now, ‘Michael, you could never see another child'...I would kill myself."
There are apparently more audio recordings with 'very uneasy phrases and language', according to one insider.
"There is something extremely unusual and eerie about Michael Jackson’s infatuation with children - especially those who are not his own," they said.
"To hear his voice discuss children in this manner, given he had been accused on molestation, raises many questions about his mental health, mindset and sadly, intentions.
"This is Michael at his most open giving us an insight into how he was in love with children...infatuated with wanting to be around them. These are very uneasy phrases and language to hear from a single man in his forties."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.