A former security guard
at Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch has testified that
he saw the singer sexually abusing a boy in the early
1990s.
Ralph Chacon gave graphic evidence at the trial in California.
But defence lawyers attacked his credibility, painting
him as a bitter ex-employee.
A former maid also alleged
she had seen Mr Jackson kissing three boys, as well as
the actor Macaulay Culkin.
Mr Jackson, 46, denies
a total of 10 charges including child abuse.
Defence lawyers painted
both witnesses as disgruntled employees who had both unsuccessfully
sued Mr Jackson for wrongful dismissal.
In what correspondents
describe as damaging testimony, former guard Mr Chacon
said he first saw Mr Jackson and the boy - who was then
10 - in a whirlpool bath.
The two then headed to
the shower together, Mr Chacon said.
He added that he decided
to look through an open window to see what was happening
and saw Mr Jackson performing a sex act on the boy.
I was thinking: 'What's going
on in there?' Grown man in the shower with a boy... it wasn't
right," he told the court in the town of Santa Maria.
"I saw Mr Jackson caressing the boy's hair, he was
kissing him."
Mr Chacon, who first mentioned the alleged
assaults when being questioned under oath in 1994, said
he did not report the incident to police as he did not
think he would be believed.
The boy involved in the alleged assault
later won an out-of-court settlement from the pop star
reportedly worth more than $20m (£10.7m).
'Counter lawsuits'
During cross-examination, Mr Jackson's
lawyer Tom Mesereau accused Mr Chacon of trying to extort
the star.
He said Mr Chacon, who worked for Mr Jackson
between 1991 and 1994, had become bitter after losing
a lawsuit against Mr Jackson for wrongful dismissal.
Mr Mesereau said Mr Jackson had countersued
and Mr Chacon was ordered to pay more than $1m in legal
costs and damages, as well as $25,000 for stolen property.
Former maid Adrian McManus testified on
Thursday that Mr Jackson had routinely shared his bed
with three boys
She said she was also concerned by Mr
Jackson's behaviour toward the actor Macaulay Culkin.
"I saw Mr Jackson and Macaulay by
the library," she said.
"Mr Jackson was kissing him on his
cheek, and he had his hand kind of on his leg, kind of
on his rear end."
The defence asserted that Mr Culkin has
repeatedly stated he was never molested
Untruthful deposition
Ms McManus said she had also once witnessed
the singer touching the genitals of the same boy Mr Chacon
said he had seen showering with Mr Jackson.
Under cross-examination she said she had
lied in a 1993 court deposition when she reported she had
not seen any inappropriate behaviour by Mr Jackson at Neverland.
She claimed Mr Jackson threatened to report her to her superiors.
Defence lawyer Thomas Mesereau pointed out Ms McManus
was part of the lawsuit filed against Mr Jackson for unlawful
dismissal, which was thrown out for being fraudulent and
malicious.
Ms McManus is expected to take the stand again on Friday
to be questioned further by the defence.
