Leaving Neverland exclusive: 'Lost boys' accuse Michael Jackson of hundreds of acts of sexual abuse
When James Safechuck met Michael Jackson he was 10. He claims the King of Pop began grooming him – and his family – in a campaign that culminated in hundreds of acts of sexual abuse and their mock ‘marriage’. Now, at last, James and a fellow accuser speak out exclusively to The Telegraph
For the vast majority of Wade Robson’s life – from the ages of seven to 30 – he was, he says, forced to speak a lie. Now, he says, ‘I want to speak the truth as loud as I spoke the lie.’
That truth, he claims, is that Michael Jackson, one of the most idolised entertainers of all time, sexually abused him from the age of seven to 14. The lie, he alleges – that Jackson had never sexually assaulted him – was one that he previously spoke under oath: he testified in Jackson’s defence when the singer faced charges of child molestation, first by Jordan Chandler in 1993 (which was eventually settled out of court for a reported $20 million), then in 2005 by Gavin Arvizo (at which Jackson was found not guilty).
But Robson is now speaking what he says is the truth very loudly indeed, in the highly controversial documentary Leaving Neverland, which screens next month on Channel 4. The four-hour film focuses on Robson, now 36, and 41-year-old James Safechuck, who alleges that Jackson also sexually abused him from the age of 10.
It is unflinching – as are both its subjects – in its graphic descriptions of the sexual acts that they claim took place over years, at multiple locations, including Jackson’s apartment, ‘the Hideout’ in Los Angeles, but primarily at his sprawling Neverland Ranch.
In one particularly horrifying passage, Safechuck takes a mental tour of the ranch – through the movie theatre, the ‘castle’, the model train station, the tepees, the swimming pool. ‘We would have sex there,’ he says, calmly, of each location on his virtual list.
‘It would happen every day. It sounds sick, but it was like when you are first dating someone – you do a lot of it.’ Safechuck also presents a collection of jewellery he alleges Jackson bought him as rewards for performing sexual acts upon him, including a tiny gold ring he says was used in a fake wedding ceremony, during which he and Jackson made ‘vows’ to one another.
Continues (paywall): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2019/02/25/made-feel-like-idea-michael-jacksons-lost-boys-claims-grooming/