HE was dubbed the Peter Pan of Pop because he never wanted to grow up and Michael Jackson cemented that image by naming his sprawling ranch in California, Neverland.
With its Ferris wheel, carousel, pirate ship and private electric train, it was both his home and amusement park that became a magnet to hundreds of excited children.
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But shocking allegations of underage sexual abuse against Jackson by several starstruck youngsters suggested he was far from the innocent ‘lost boy’ he professed to be.
The 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, focused on two of his accusers, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, then adults, who shockingly and graphically revealed how Michael Jackson had sexually abused them, starting when they were seven and nine years old.
Jackson had died in 2009 and consistently rejected all accusations of sexual abuse throughout his life – as his estate continues to do.
The King of Pop’s legions of fans around the world backed him and verbally abused Wade and James, threatening violence and bombarding them with death threats.
The cinema where the film premiered, at the Sundance Festival, was threatened with a bomb attacks – and Wade even wrote a letter for his wife and son in case he never made it home.
But that has not stopped the brave accusers continuing their fight for justice.
A new, follow-up documentary, Leaving Neverland II: Surviving Michael Jackson, airing on Channel 4, at 9pm on Tuesday 18 March, follows their ongoing legal battle and shows the personal toll it has taken on them.
Their original lawsuits against Jackson, first Wade’s in 2013 and then James’ a year later, were thrown out because of the statute of limitations – the time period under which a former child abuse victim could take legal action – had expired.
With exclusive access to court hearings and heart-breaking interviews with Wade, 42, and James, 47, Leaving Neverland 2 follows their crushing setbacks at the appeals court where the defence successfully used the statute of limitations and insisted that the corporations owned by Jackson could not be held accountable for his alleged past actions.
“Having our court case thrown away was really difficult to go through. I started drinking more. It really hurt,” says James.
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But, in the wake of the ‘me too’ movement, the statute of limitations was changed in California in October 2023 and Wade and James are finally to have their day in court.
“It’s been never-ending,” says James. “Pursuing this was the act of fighting back. I wanted to fight for little James. I wanted to fight for him and fight for myself.”
Bodyguards outside bedroom
Wade was first introduced to Jackson after winning a dance competition in his native Australia and, at seven, travelled to Neverland with his family.
When it was time for them to go, Jackson persuaded his starstruck parents to let him stay at the ranch – and the abuse began as soon as they drove away.
Wade insists the adults surrounding the pop legend must have known what was going on.
“All of my interactions with him [Jackson] were organised by the people who worked for him and worked with him,” says Wade.
“So many times bodyguards that worked for Michael, were right outside of the door when the abuse was going on, whether that was at Neverland or in trailers at a recording studio. There were always people around that worked for him.
“There was knowledge that there was something weird going on and nobody in the organization did anything about it. How do they sleep at night, hiding everything that Michael was really up to?”
James Safechuck, who met Jackson at the age of nine while filming a Peps commercial in 1987, accused the King of Pop of molesting him about 100 times.
Lawyer Vince Finaldi agrees those around him turned a blind eye.
“I believe that any normal person, seeing the things that were going on between Michael Jackson and the kids, would have suspicions very early on as to what he was doing,” he says.
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“The fact that he was always surrounding himself with young boys, many of whom looked the same, and he usually had one who he called his ‘special friend.’ He would interact with these kids in a way that someone would interact with a boyfriend or a girlfriend.
“I would find it very hard to believe that someone who’s an adult employee of Michael Jackson would not, at the very least, have a suspicion as to what’s going on.
“Just because someone has passed away does not mean you cannot bring a lawsuit.
“There are two defendants – MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures – which are loan out corporations created for the sole purpose of shielding the entertainer from personal liability. But they could have supervised any time that Michael Jackson was with these kids.
“They could have warned the parents or called the police. They didn’t do what a reasonable person would have done in order to protect them. As a result, the kids were damaged, and therefore they’re liable.”
Abuse ‘bribes’
Finaldi claims Jackson was getting away with abusing children over 30 years before he died,
“Michael Jackson got away with this for a long time,” adds Finaldi. “The very first one we know of involves a young girl who was actually a tomboy, and it’s my understanding she was sexually abused by Mr. Jackson in the mid-1980s and he ended up paying her a settlement in the range of about $900,000 and it was paid by his companies.
“There’s another one involving Michael Jackson’s housekeeper’s son (Jason Francia). He brought a claim and that claim was settled and he was paid out.”
Rosibel Ferrufino-Smith, a detective in the sexually exploited child unit, LAPD, says: “Jason Francia disclosed that he was fondled by Michael Jackson and that a lot of times during the fondling acts, Michael would slip money in his pocket, presumably in a way to keep him quiet and not disclose the information to his mother.”
Another out-of-court settlement was made with Jordan Chandler, after he filed a 1993 lawsuit alleging the singer molested him when he was 13. He was paid an eye-watering $23 million (£18m).
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In 2005, Jackson was brought to trial after 12-year-old Gavin Arvizo, who had cancer, told a therapist that the singer had fondled him in his private parts.
Wade, then in his early 20s and trying to forget his past experiences with Jackson, was rattled to be asked by Jackson to testify for him in the criminal trial.
“He kept saying, ‘We can’t let them do this to us. We can’t let them take us down. Us, us, us. At some point, I worked up the courage to tell him that I didn’t want to testify. After that, I received a subpoena and so I had no choice.”
In court, Wade acknowledged sharing a bed with the singer many times when he was a child but that at no time did Jackson ever molest him.
“I wasn’t able to tell the truth. I was told to say that Michael never touched me sexually and be very clear about that,” he recalls. “I definitely had a real fear of what he had once said to me about if anyone found out about us I would go to jail.”
Jackson was cleared. But now, Wade is looking forward to telling the truth in court.
“As Leaving Neverland was being released and everything that happened with the ‘me too movement’, there was this kind of major societal shift around sexual abuse, sexual assault and accountability and it ended up with the statute of limitations changing,” says Wade. “So that played a big role in us being able to head back towards court.”
In a remote hearing on 26 July 2023, the California Court of Appeal did not agree that the corporation had no duty of care for the children Jackson was with and it ruled in favour of Wade and James.
A trial date has been set for May 2026 with James Carpenter taking over from Vince Finaldi, as their lawyer.
“Part of me is kind of building up for this,” says James. “Imagining myself in trial, in the seat, finding the strength and fighting for little Jimmy. When it comes I’ll be ready.”
Wade already feels that having got their day in court is a victory. “Whatever is the final outcome, I don’t really see how I lose,” he says. “If I get the opportunity to get back in there and get on the stand and tell the truth like I wasn’t able to for decades, that’s a win for me.”
Jackson’s estate has vehemently denied all allegations of sexual abuse made against the star.
The documentary makers said: “We made repeated requests over a period of six years for interview and comment from the legal team representing Michael Jackson’s estate and MJJ Productions. They declined every opportunity to participate in this documentary.”
Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson, Channel 4, Tuesday 18 March