Jackson judge blocks 'porn pics'

Jackson looked stronger and responded to fans' calls

The judge at Michael Jackson's trial has barred prosecutors from showing the jury evidence of pornographic images stored on the singer's computers.

Judge Rodney Melville said the material did not relate to the time-frame of the trial and that it was impossible to know who had looked at it.

Mr Jackson denies 10 charges, including child abuse and false imprisonment.

At the end of the day, one of the pop star's lawyers was taken to hospital after collapsing.

Paramedics removed Brian Oxman on a stretcher after he felt unwell.

'Powerful corroboration'

On Wednesday, the singer arrived at court 20 minutes early - two days after proceedings were delayed when Mr Jackson entered late and complained of back pains.

He walked into court unaided, followed by his lawyer, Thomas Mesereau, and his parents.

In court, the prosecution asked Judge Melville to allow the introduction of new evidence.

It offered "powerful corroboration" for their case, prosecutor Gordon Auchincloss argued.

Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch is at the centre of the case

Gavin Arvizo, now 15, alleges that Mr Jackson abused him during a stay at the star's Neverland ranch in 2003.

The singer is also alleged to have shown Gavin and his brother Star pornography and given them alcohol during their stay.

Among the hundreds of images were many pictures of teenagers, the prosecution said.

They were stored between 1998 and 2003.

But Mr Jackson's lawyers argued that the images were not directly downloaded or saved onto the computers, merely "cached" during routine web browsing.

All the material was heterosexual and there was no evidence it was directly related to the case, they argued. Judge Melville agreed.

Phone call

On Tuesday, a comedian told how a "disturbing" call from the mother of Michael Jackson's child sex accuser led her to believe the family was being held captive.

Louise Palanker testified that Gavin Arvizo's mother called her shortly after a damaging TV documentary about the singer was aired in February 2003.

"It's not a safe line, they're listening to every word I say. These people are evil, they are keeping us," Ms Palanker quoted the mother of the boy as telling her.

"It was an extremely disturbing phone call. I felt they were held against their will," she said.

Mr Jackson denies the charge. His lawyers say Gavin's mother tried to exploit relationships with Ms Palanker and other celebrities to extort money.

But Ms Palanker, who gave the Arvizo family $20,000 (£10,608) in 2000, testified that Janet Arvizo had never asked her for money.