Defence witness admits lying to police

Michael Jackson's ranch manager conceded yesterday that he lied when he told police that the singer never slept with children.

And in what was seen as a damaging admission by a defence witness, manager Joe Marcus acknowledged that Mr Jackson had formed special bonds with a series of boys, including his accuser and Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin.

Outside the Santa Maria, California court, a Jackson spokesman said Mr Culkin, who has denied that he was molested by the 46-year-old superstar, will testify for the defence, which began presenting its case last week.

"Yes, I do expect he will be here at some point," Jackson spokesman Raymone Bain told reporters, adding that defence lawyers would not disclose when they would call the former child star because they "don't want to give their strategy out to the whole world". Faced with cross-examination by Deputy District Attorney Gordon Auchincloss, Mr Marcus acknowledged that on occasion Mr Jackson slept with children and that during a raid on Neverland Valley Ranch in November of 2003 he told police otherwise.

"Do you have any knowledge of children sleeping in Mr Jackson's room?," Mr Auchincloss asked the 18-year employee.

"Yes," Mr Marcus responded, before admitting to the jury that he told police that he had no knowledge of the sleepovers at the singer's central California estate.

"That was untrue, wasn't it?" Mr Auchincloss asked him.

"Yeah," Mr Marcus said.

Mr Marcus also conceded that his famous employer had formed a "special bond" with eight young boys over the years, including Mr Culkin and the recovering cancer patient at the centre of the trial.

"Mr Jackson tends to form special bonds with some of these boys, true?" Mr Auchincloss asked.

"Not just boys, but yes, I have seen bonds with children," Mr Marcus said.

Prompted by Mr Auchincloss to name girls with whom Mr Jackson had been close, Mr Marcus appeared to struggle before naming two, both sisters of boys who prosecutors say were targeted by the singer.

Asked whether Mr Jackson had female friends aside from his two wives, Mr Marcus again faltered before naming actress Elizabeth Taylor and singer Liza Minelli.

"So, we're up to two?" a sarcastic Mr Auchincloss said, prompting an objection from defence lawyer Robert Sanger.

Mr Marcus was called as a defence witness and appeared uncomfortable under cross-examination, often looking to Mr Jackson before answering difficult questions. "You keep looking at Mr Jackson; why is that?" Mr Auchincloss asked him at one point. An objection by Dr Sanger prevented the witness from answering.

After Mr Marcus testified that he had never seen Mr Jackson with adult materials in front of children, Mr Auchincloss confronted him with pictures of figurines of nearly naked women in bondage attire that were found on the pop star's desk during the raid.