Witnesses testify in Jackson case

Jackson denies all of the child abuse charges

A number of witnesses alleging child abuse against singer Michael Jackson will testify in front of a grand jury in Santa Barbara, California.

The witnesses will be part of the prosecution's attempt to show there was a "pattern of seduction", according to District Attorney Tom Sneddon.

A grand jury hears evidence in private and decides if a trial can go ahead.

Jackson is facing trial over allegations of child abuse. He has denied all charges.

Mr Sneddon is taking the evidence to a grand jury because he does not want pre-trial evidence to be heard in public.

"They will be bringing in every piece of evidence that might be relevant," Loyola University Law Professor Laurie Levenson said.

100 candidates

"They're casting a wide net. And it gives them a dress rehearsal for the trial."

The boy at the centre of the current allegations is expected to be one of the witnesses.

Candidates for the grand jury received summonses earlier in the month telling them they would need to report for duty on Thursday.

Choosing the 19 grand jurors from the more than 100 candidates could take several days.

Gagged

Former Santa Barbara County sheriff Jim Thomas said the jurors may need to be shuttled to different locations every day to avoid media attention.

Court-imposed gagging orders have been placed on both the prosecution and the defence teams to avoid them talking about the current case in public.

Jackson was charged on 18 December with seven counts of committing lewd or lascivious acts upon a child under the age of 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent to a child.

A pre-trial hearing is expected to take place on 2 April.