Accuser's mother lied, cheated - witnesses

The mother of Michael Jackson's young accuser defrauded welfare authorities, "duped" a local newspaper into raising money for the family and cursed at a relative who tried to help her cancer-stricken son, defence witnesses testified on Monday.

The testimony portrayed the mother as greedy, dishonest and willing to exploit her sick child for money - a key theme of defence lawyers as they try to convince jurors that she goaded the boy into fabricating accusations of sex abuse against Mr Jackson to try and extort money from him.

In brief but emotional testimony, the boy's aunt told jurors that she organised two blood drives after learning from TV news reports that her nephew had cancer. Instead of thanks, she said, she got a rude phone call from the mother, with whom she rarely spoke.

The aunt said the woman, who had been married to her brother, dismissed her offer of blood with an obscenity, demanding money instead, a recollection that caused her to burst into tears. Prosecutors suggested on cross-examination that the aunt, who has not spoken to her brother in 15 years, may have an axe to grind against her former sister-in-law.

Mr Jackson is charged with molesting the boy, then 13, at Neverland Valley Ranch in February or March of 2003, plying him with alcohol and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. He faces more than two decades behind bars if convicted.

The aunt was followed on the witness stand by the editor of a community newspaper who said that in 1999 the mother convinced her to publish a story about the boy's cancer that she ultimately saw as a bid to raise money.

Connie Keenan, whose tiny Mid-Valley News did not normally run such articles, said she assigned the piece to an intern after the mother pestered her staff to publish a story.

Ms Keenan said she found dubious the mother's claim that a single chemotherapy injection for her son cost $12,000 and she was bothered that the mother had listed her name and home address in asking for donations.