An audio of Michael Jackson appears: "Children want to touch me and hug me"

“I children they end up falling in love with my personality… they just want to touch me and hug me… and this sometimes gets me into trouble”: the voice – soft and high-pitched – is that of Michael Jacksonand it comes out of one unreleased audio recording contained in documentario The Trial which will air on Wednesday on Channel 4.

According to what the Guardian reports, the Wonderhood Studios of the United Kingdom wanted to create a four-part docuseries which explores theJackson’s acquittal come on allegations of child sexual abuse after a 14 week criminal trial near Los Angeles in 2005.

The Trial

The Wonderhood Studios website explains that The Trial aims to go beyond the “media circus” of lawsuit to Jackson to ask “deep questions about famathe race and the American justice system”.

The accusations against the King of Pop

Before his acquittal, the King of Pop he had been accused of molesting a boy, of providing alcohol to a minorof getting him drunk to abuse him and of plotting to keep a child and his family prisoner in the ranch Neverland.

“I am completely, completely innocent“, assures Jackson in one of the recordings of the documentary. Then he reiterates the deep bond with children: “If you told me now… ‘Michael, you will never see another child again’… I would kill myself.”

In a March 2005 interview, Jackson claimed that the allegations represented the lowest point in his life and that they had been brought against him as part of an elaborate conspiracy to discredit him. “Please know that there are many underway as we speak conspiracies”, he explains in The Trial.

Absolution

On June 13, 2005, one jury declared the pop star not guilty of all charges in a Santa Maria, California court.

Four years and two weeks later, Michael Jackson is dead for what authorities described as “acute intoxication” from Propofol, a powerful anesthetic. He was 50 years old. His personal doctor, Dr Conrad Murraywas sentenced to 2 years in prison for giving the artist la lethal dose.

The controversial legacy

After his death, theJackson’s legacy was greeted with conflicting opinions: on the one hand there are those who exalt their own musical and artistic talenton the other hand, those who recognize his artistic qualities but refrain from celebrating him further, given the details allegations of abuse at his expense.

Neverland

Il Neverland Ranchlocated in Santa Barbara County, California, was purchased by Michael Jackson in 1988 and became symbolic of his vision of escape and innocence. Inspired by the world of Peter Panthe ranch included a private amusement park, a zoo and a movie theater. Over the years, the news has transformed it from a fairy-tale refuge to a controversial place. A trap with which the pop star would have lured children. After Jackson’s death in 2009, Neverland fell into disuse and changed ownership several times. The last one in 2020, when it was purchased by Ron Burklea former business partner of the musician, for approximately $22 million — a figure much lower than the original sales price. Today the estate has been renamed Sycamore Valley Ranch and is not open to the public.