Jackson accuser family 'harassed'

Jackson denies the allegations against him

The stepfather of Michael Jackson's accuser has said his family was harassed and offered bribes to help rebut a damaging documentary.

Jay Jackson said one of the singer's associates offered to give Gavin Arvizo and his siblings a house and a college education if they agreed to co-operate.

He also claimed that the family had been harassed, receiving incessant phone calls.

Michael Jackson, 46, denies charges of molesting 13-year-old Gavin.

If found guilty, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

'Distressed'

Jay Jackson described events surrounding the broadcast of a UK TV documentary on the star by journalist Martin Bashir.

In the programme, Michael Jackson described sleeping in the same bed as Gavin.

Jay Jackson said that after the documentary was broadcast in 2003, he was visited by a number of British newspaper reporters.

He told the court they wanted his wife and her children to sell their story regarding their relationship with Michael Jackson.

The family was offered money, he said, but they turned it down.

He told the jury there were constant phone calls to the family home from an associate of Michael Jackson's - sometimes as often as a call every 15 minutes, he said.

He said the associate wanted the family to take part in a video about the pop star that was intended as a rebuttal to Bashir's documentary.

Asked about his wife's mood at this time, he said she was distressed and disturbed.

"[She] was somewhat emotional," he said. "She was crying and she was sitting in the closet having these conversations with [the Jackson aide]."

Changed behaviour

The mother and her three children did go to Michael Jackson's ranch Neverland to make the video, which has never been broadcast but was shown to the jury.

The family claim they were held captive at Neverland until they had made the video.

When they returned home some three weeks later, Gavin's behaviour had changed, his stepfather said.

"He had become mean, he was using curse words. He had never done that before," he said. "He was acting very cocky, kind of rude actually."

Jay Jackson will continue to give evidence at the pop star's trial on Wednesday.