Jackson Faces New Child Molestation Charges

Michael Jackson is facing new charges of child molestation following allegations from a 20-year-old that the singer assaulted him, forced him to have plastic surgery and stole his musical ideas.

"It is alleged that my client was present at Michael Jackson’s residences and other places from the age of two to 14 and was molested many times over the course of those years," said Michael Mattern, a lawyer for the man.

"There is also an allegation that my client came up with song ideas, lyrics and melodies which were used by Mr Jackson in his records and made an awful lot of money."

The civil lawsuit was filed in a southern California court last July but resubmitted in October. The case is due to be heard in Orange County next month, according to the lawyer.

The allegations relate to a period from 1987 to 1999, before the allegations that were the subject of last year’s trial.

The existence of the lawsuit was revealed in the New York Post. The paper reported that the accuser was interviewed by prosecutors in Santa Barbara county last year after a call for new accusers to come forward. But the paper reported that prosecutors decided not to proceed with the case because they felt it would not stand up in court.

The civil lawsuit was filed by the man without the aid of a lawyer a month after Jackson was acquitted in Santa Maria. His handwritten complaint was then resubmitted by Mr Mattern. "The defendants, who include Michael Jackson, his production company MJJ Productions and his corporate entity, Sony, have all been served with a lawsuit," Mr Mattern said.

The complaint says his client was "subjected to unnecessary cosmetic surgery procedures".

"I have got photos of my client with these red lips just like you see on Mr Jackson and a big old cleft on his chin which he didn’t have previously," Mr Mattern said.

Lawyers for the 47-year-old singer declined to comment on the case yesterday. He has faced other court challenges, mainly involving business transactions. Last week a vet filed proceedings claiming non-payment of bills totaling $91,000 (£50,000) relating to care of animals at the singer’s small zoo at his Neverland ranch.