Michael Jackson was found not guilty by a jury in Santa Maria, California, yesterday on all 10 counts against him on charges relating to the alleged abuse of a child at his Neverland ranch.
The eight women and four man-panel found the pop singer not guilty on four charges of molesting a 13-year-old boy, not guilty on four charges of administering alcohol to commit lewd acts, not guilty on one charge of conspiracy to hold the boy's family against their will and not guilty on one charge of attempted molestation.
The verdict, greeted by wild cheers from fans outside the court in Santa Maria, is a major defeat for California prosecutor Tom Sneddon, who has being pursuing Jackson on child abuse charges for years.
The jury panel also found Jackson not guilty of lesser charges of administering intoxicating liquor to a minor.
Jackson, once the world's top pop music entertainer, wiped his eyes and then turned and hugged his defence attorneys Robert Sanger and Thomas Mesereau. There were no scenes of jubiliation in the court, however, following a warning from Judge Rodney Melville that he would eject anyone who made a scene. The singer, whose health has deteriorated markedly during the trial, looked stunned and exhausted as he emerged from the court.
He waved feebly and blew a kiss to the screaming fans as he was helped into his SUV by members of his family. Jackson had arrived in the court wearing sunglasses and a red and black armband, and shielded by a large black umbrella.
Judge Melville had given Michael Jackson an hour and 15 minutes to reach the court after the jury said they were ready at 12.15pm (8.15 pm Irish time), but it was almost two hours before the pop star's convoy of black sports utility vehicles arrived at the Santa Maria court.
As news of the verdict spread, the crowd of fans around the court quickly swelled to several hundred. Santa Maria police erected crush barriers and blocked off the road.
As Jackson was escorted inside the court fans screamed "Innocent! Michael Innocent!"
Among them an Irish fan, Sean O'Kane from Derry, waved a large tricolour placard saying that Ireland supported Michael Jackson.
The singer faced up to 20 years in jail if convicted by the jury which deliberated for more than seven days. The jury asked the judge to read a statement saying the entire procedure was a testimony to the justice system and the truth.
Debbie Rowe, mother of two of Michael Jackson's children, who was called to testify for the prosecution, issued a statement saying: "Debbie is overjoyed that the justice system really works regardless of which side called her to testify".
Earlier Judge Melville said the jury asked and withdrew a question on Monday morning. He also confirmed that on Friday the jury had a read-back of testimony and there were four meetings in chambers with lawyers.
Jackson was charged with 10 counts of molesting a teenage boy in February or March of 2003, plying the young cancer patient with alcohol in order to commit lewd acts, and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.