New tape claims in Jackson case

Jackson has denied allegations of child abuse

The boy accusing Michael Jackson of abuse was taped saying the star had done nothing wrong, it is alleged.

A CNN contributor said she had heard the tape, reported to have been made at the singer's Neverland ranch.

Kimberly Newsom also said the boy had signed an affidavit earlier this year denying Jackson, 45, had abused him.

The singer turned himself in to police last week on charges of abusing a child, but says the allegations are "a big lie".

The tape has not been circulated to the media, and CNN admitted it had no way of confirming the voices on the tape were those of the alleged victim and his mother.

Ms Newsom said the recording was of the 12-year-old boy saying Jackson had "never acted inappropriately".

Neither Jackson's legal team nor that of the victim have yet commented on the authenticity of the tape.

The alleged audiotape and affidavit were made in February after the singer admitted in a British documentary that he shared his bed with boys, New York's Daily News said.

Many fans have publicly demonstrated their backing for the singer

They were made after the alleged victim's mother went to the Neverland ranch to complain about the footage of her son in the programme, the paper added.

Reports said an investigator working for Jackson came up with the idea of recording the boy and his mother as they talked about Jackson, and having them sign an affidavit clearing the singer of any wrongdoing.

Jackson's lawyer has suggested the motive behind the abuse allegations is greed, as people try to use the star like "a lottery ticket" in a bid to cash in on his fortune.

Newsom is a San Francisco assistant district attorney on leave and a contributor to CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" programme.

Man 'boarded star's plane'

Meanwhile, police said that a man claiming to be a reporter for a London-based news agency was arrested after allegedly getting aboard Jackson's private jet.

The incident is said to have occurred when the pop star flew to California to surrender on the child abuse warrant.

Lee Kevin Madden, 27, was arrested on 20 November after being discovered aboard the plane by Jackson's security team.

Mr Madden, of Los Angeles, had a video camera, digital camera, notepad and metal clipboard, and claimed to be a reporter with Splash news and picture agency, Santa Barbara police Sergeant Dave Gonzalez said.

Jackson's best-of album Number Ones failed to make the US top 10 amid the furore over the allegations.

The album charted at number 13 in the US charts on Wednesday, after one week on sale.

It sold more than 121,000 copies, said US music magazine Billboard.

Some analysts had predicted the album would struggle to sell 100,000 copies because of the negative publicity generated by Mr Jackson's charges.

The album went to number one in the UK on Sunday, selling more than 120,000 copies in its first two days, Sony Music communications vice-president Gary Farrow told BBC News Online.