United States: Cheered by fans and with his freedom, career and reputation on the line, Michael Jackson strode confidently into a California courtroom yesterday to watch jury selection begin in his child molestation case.
Jackson (46), who said on Sunday that he would be "acquitted and vindicated" at trial, strode briskly into the courthouse dressed all in white, chosen as a symbol of innocence.
He was accompanied by his lawyer and a phalanx of bodyguards, one of whom held an umbrella over him to shield him from the sun as fans from around the world stood behind fences holding up signs of encouragement, including such placards as "France Supports MJ" and "We believe you, Michael". Appearing upbeat, Jackson smiled and made a V-for-victory gesture.
He is accused of sexually molesting a 13-year-old boy while the youth and his family lived at Jackson's Neverland Valley Ranch in the hills above Santa Maria in central California.
After walking through a metal detector and having an officer wave a security wand over him, Jackson and his lawyer sat at the defence table as the first pools of potential jurors were brought in.
Jackson's family offered him support, with his mother, Katherine, telling CBS's Early Show yesterday that, "I know my son and this is ridiculous."
About 750 prospective jurors were to be summoned to the courtroom in a selection process that could take up to a month.
The would-be jurors were reporting in groups of 150 to determine if they can serve in a trial that could last six months.
The judge will try to assemble a pool of possible jurors who will be given seven-page questionnaires about the case and told to return it on February 7th.
The trial of Jackson, one of the world's best-known entertainers, has drawn worldwide media attention.
Some of Jackson's supporters camped out overnight at the courthouse, despite chilly weather and fences designed to keep them well away from the performer.
More than 1,000 journalists from Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico and the United States have registered to cover the trial. On Sunday, reporters waited in line for five hours to pick up credentials needed to get through tight security surrounding the courthouse property.
Although Jackson's famed Neverland compound is in the hills above Santa Maria, the self-proclaimed "King of Pop" is rarely seen in the working-class town of 80,000 and has little in common with the 12 residents who will sit in judgment on him.
A grand jury handed down a 10-count indictment against Jackson in April, charging him with lewd acts on a child under 14 and conspiring to commit abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. - (Reuters)