World News 16-06-2005 Jacko Says He Won`t Do It Again who: Michael Jackson what: Acquitted of all ten charges in child abuse trial where: Santa Maria, California when: Tuesday snippet: Michael Jackson, who was acquitted on all charges on Tuesday after a humiliating child abuse trial, will stop sharing his bed with young boys, his lawyer says. "Michael is a very kind-hearted, childlike person. He has been too nice to too many people," says Tom Mesereau, quoted in The Sun and The Independent, among others. "He has let a lot of people come freely in to his life and home and that is going to change. He is not going to make himself vulnerable to this any more." "The jurors announced they were ready to deliver their verdict after spending 33 hours over seven days working their way through the mass of evidence relating to the charges," says The Telegraph. "More than 140 witnesses testified and almost 700 pieces of evidence were presented as prosecutors sought to paint Jackson as a serial abuser of young boys and defence lawyers attacked the claims as a `big lie` and an attempt to `dirty up` the star and extort money." In the court room on Tuesday, Jackson`s gaunt face looked "paler than the white-painted walls," says The Mirror`s Justine Smith. On a day when he could have been sentenced to "20 years in America`s toughest jail," he "looked as though holding up his head was more than he could manage". But 16 weeks after he began his trial for ten counts of child molestation, kidnapping and plying children with alcohol, he walked away a free man. There was not a flicker of emotion on his face as the verdicts were read out. He returned to the notorious Neverland ranch, which financial troubles may soon force him to sell, and has not been seen in public since. "I cried as a little baby, it was the most beautiful day of my life I feel reborn," says Raffles Vanexel, 29, from Amsterdam, Holland, one of many Jackson fans awaiting the verdict outside the court in Santa Maria, California. "America is celebrating, this is a party and Michael Jackson is going to come back with something incredible. The world will be surprised and the world owes him big time." The Sun says that comeback may be in the form of a £50million deal from Donald Trump to perform at a casino he plans to build in Las Vegas. In the meantime, the paper reckons he plans to sue Martin Bashir over the documentary, Living With Michael Jackson, which started the whole ordeal, and there is talk of "private footage of his ordeal", filmed by the Jackson family themselves, being turned into a reality show. [... more]

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