Jackson 'groomed Children for World of the Forbidden'

The Michael Jackson child molestation trial reached a climactic phase yesterday as the prosecution began its closing statements by seeking to portray the singer as a practised serial paedophile who exploited children.

In its final remarks before the jury are handed the case, probably today, the prosecution told a packed courtroom that Mr Jackson groomed children for "the world of the forbidden".

"This case is about the exploitation and sexual abuse of a 13-year-old cancer survivor by an international celebrity," said deputy district attorney Ron Zonen.

"There are two themes, that Michael Jackson inserted himself into the Arvizo family, not the other way around", and that "Janet Arvizo never asked Michael Jackson for a penny".

Mr Jackson is accused of sexually molesting Gavin Arvizo, 13, and conspiring to imprison the Arvizo family.

If found guilty on all counts he faces up to 20 years in prison.

Mr Zonen, who took the place of district attorney Tom Sneddon, who opened the case for the prosecution, launched a withering attack on Mr Jackson's defence.

Reminding the jury that the Jackson attorney Thomas Mesereau had made several promises in his opening statement, Mr Zonen said: "He was inviting us to judge him. Let's begin the judgment."

Mr Mesereau, he said, had promised evidence that the Arvizo family had tried to "shake down" numerous celebrities for money, that they had lied about welfare benefits, and that they had used Gavin Arvizo's cancer as a way of gaining money and favour.

"Janet Arvizo had nothing to do with any shakedown," said Mr Zonen. "Mr Mesereau either knew it or should have known it."

He said the promised parade of celebrities had failed to materialise and those who had testified had not backed up Mr Mesereau's assertions.

He also disputed the defence's assertion that Mr Jackson, 46, had taken time out from his career to help the young cancer sufferer, as Mr Mesereau asserted in his opening statement.

"There's no evidence that Michael Jackson took one minute off his career to help Gavin Arvizo."

He did, Mr Zonen admitted, make numerous phone calls to the boy, but that, he suggested, was part of the pattern of seduction that the prosecution has tried to portray.

"That's what he does with all the boys who end up in his bed," Mr Zonen said. "That's how Michael Jackson functions. That's what he does. That has nothing to do with benevolence."

Mr Zonen attempted to dispel the defence's assertion that Janet Arvizo, the accuser's mother, was a liar who trained her children to lie.

Her one moment of neglect, he said, was "when she assumed that she could trust Michael Jackson".

Alluding to the welfare benefit fraud introduced by the defence, Mr Zonen said: "That was a mistake, it was fraud, she shouldn't have done it."