March 21, 2005

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  Pop star Michael Jackson arrives at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in Santa Maria, California March 21, 2005. Jackson on Monday hobbled into court late again, this time accompanied by a doctor, delaying his child molestation trial for almost an hour as his lawyers consulted with the judge on the condition of their world-famous client. REUTERS/Kimberly White/Pool
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  Michael Jackson Arrives Late to Court Mon Mar 21, 1:37 PM ET By TIM MOLLOY, Associated Press Writer SANTA MARIA, Calif. – An ill-looking and sometimes trembling Michael Jackson (news) arrived late to his child molestation trial again Monday, walking hesitantly into court along with a doctor in surgical scrubs, but after a 45-minute delay the judge ordered testimony to resume with no explanation to the jury. Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville took no apparent action against the singer, who he had threatened with arrest and revocation of bail when he failed to show up on time on March 10 after an early morning trip to a hospital for treatment of what his lawyers said was a back injury. On Monday, Jackson, 46, took tiny, hesitant steps entering the courtroom and appeared to be in great pain. The doctor, Bert Weiner of Cottage Hospital in Santa Ynez, went into the judge’s chambers for a private conference and remained in the front row of the courtroom when testimony resumed. During the chambers conference, Jackson‘s brother Jackie and a security guard escorted the singer to a restroom. When he returned to the courtroom he was seen crying at the counsel table with a tissue over his face. He appeared to have trouble sitting and standing. A call seeking comment from Jackson spokeswoman Raymone K. Bain was not immediately returned. The court session resumed with testimony by a sheriff’s detective, Sgt. Conn Abel, who had been on the stand when court recessed Thursday. In the March 10 incident, Jackson was more than an hour late and arrived wearing slippers and a jacket over pajama bottoms. Aides had sped him from Cottage Hospital to try to beat a one-hour deadline set by the judge, but missed the deadline by a few minutes. On that occasion, the judge told the jury: “Mr. Jackson had a medical problem and it was necessary for me to order his appearance.” He told the panel not to draw any negative inferences from the fact that Jackson had not appeared on time. On Monday, however, the judge told jurors nothing about Jackson‘s condition. The singer was fully dressed, wearing a black suit, brocade vest and a blue armband, one of his signature wardrobe items, but his hair was askew. On Thursday, the most recent day of testimony in the case, a Jackson attorney said the singer’s back was still bothering him and that he planned to rest and relax during the weekend. Jackson did not have to attend a motions hearing that was held Friday. Jackson is charged with molesting a 13-year-old boy in February-March 2003, giving the boy alcohol and conspiring to hold his family captive to get them to make a video rebutting a TV documentary in which Jackson appeared with the boy and said he allowed children to sleep in his bed, though he claimed it was non-sexual. Prosecutors have said they may wrap up the stage of their case focusing on a boy’s molestation claims as early as this week, then focus on the conspiracy allegations. The judge has yet to rule on whether the prosecution may introduce evidence of past allegations of molestation against Jackson. ___ Associated Press Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.

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