Jury picked in Michael Jackson trial

A jury of four men and eight women was chosen yesterday in the Michael Jackson child molestation case, including one woman whose sister was raped and another whose grandson is a registered sex offender.

At least three of the jurors are Hispanics but no blacks were selected. All potential jurors were asked if race would be a consideration in their deliberations and all said no.

Mr Jackson, 46, is an African American.

The panel, which was selected faster than legal experts had expected, includes a widowed 79-year-old great-grandmother whose grandson has registered with police as a sex offender, and a 42-year-old school aide whose sister was raped at age 12. The second woman also said she had two nieces who had been sexually molested.

The jury, which ranges in age from 20 to 79, also includes a civil engineer, a horse trainer, a physical therapy aide, a wheelchair-bound student and a student nurse whose aunt visited Mr Jackson's Neverland Valley estate, where a boy, now 15, claims the pop star molested him two years ago.

None of the jurors were identified by name but all had filled out seven-page questionnaires.