Jury could start deliberating by tomorrow

The jury could begin deliberating in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial by the end of the week, a judge said on Tuesday, following instructions on the law and closing arguments by attorneys for both sides.

Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville, who spent the day working on jury instructions with prosecutors and defence lawyers with jurors and Mr Jackson absent, said he wanted to hand the case over to the eight-woman, four-man panel by tomorrow afternoon.

"I want to get the case out late Friday," Judge Melville told attorneys for both sides after pushing back closing statements by one day.

Following that timeline the jury could begin deliberations late tomorrow or Monday morning. Jurors were expected to work behind closed doors for about six hours a day until they either reach verdicts or announce a deadlock. The jury will be asked to weigh a Santa Barbara County Grand jury indictment that charges Mr Jackson with four counts of molesting a 13-year-old boy, four counts of plying the young cancer patient with alcohol in order to abuse him, one count of conspiracy and one count of attempted molestation.

The 46-year-old entertainer, who has pleaded innocent, faces more than two decades in prison if convicted on all 10 counts, which stem from the boy's extended visit to Neverland Valley Ranch in February and March of 2003.

Judge Melville ruled on Tuesday that in considering the four alcohol counts against Mr Jackson, the jury could determine that the singer gave his young accuser alcohol but did not abuse him. Under that scenario they could convict him of a lesser charge.

Legal experts said the move, which is not unusual in California courts, did not affect the remainder of the indictment and gave prosecutors an advantage as the misdemeanour charge might be easier to prove.

Mr Jackson would face two to four years in state prison if convicted of the felony alcohol charge, while the misdemeanour charge carries a fine and the possibility of a shorter spell in county jail.

The accuser, both on the witness stand and in a videotaped police interview, said Mr Jackson routinely gave him wine while he was staying at Neverland. He said Mr Jackson masturbated him on several occasions after plying him with alcohol. The judge made his decision while discussing with prosecution and the defence key rulings on how he would instruct the jury.

"They're arguing about the ground rules that will control everything that will happen from now on - arguments, deliberations and verdict," former San Francisco prosecutor Jim Hammer said.

But the process was so tedious that by mid-afternoon the normally packed courtroom held only about two dozen reporters and Mr Jackson fans, some of them dozing.

"If we had televised today's proceedings we could have deterred an entire generation of kids from going to law school," defence attorney Robert Sanger quipped.

Two key players in the case, lead defence attorney Tom Mesereau and prosecutor Ron Zonen, were absent, presumably working on their closing arguments.