Jacko sex trial goes ahead

Michael Jackson was today told he must face court over child sex abuse allegations but insisted: "I'm innocent."

The superstar, arrested last year over allegations he molested a 12-year-old boy after plying him with alcohol, had hoped to avoid a public court hearing in which details of all the sex claims would be revealed.

But now, in a dramatic turn of events, a jury in a California court has summoned him to face a full public trial over a string of undisclosed child sex charges.

It is thought that some of these relate to his arrest in November, when he was charged with seven counts of " committing lewd or lascivious acts" upon the 12-year-old.

If convicted on those counts he would face a maximum of 21 years in jail.

There have been no details of the accusations considered by the jury during a two-week hearing in closed court, but the full charges against the 45-year-old singer will be revealed when he appears at California's Santa Barbara Superior Court next week.

Jackson denied claims relating to the 12-year-old boy, calling them a "big lie", and today his lawyers insisted he would be "fully exonerated" over the latest allegations. In a statement, they said: "Michael is looking forward to his day in court and wishes to thank the millions of fans throughout the world who continue to support him during this difficult period."

His spokeswoman, Raymone Bain, said today he would plead not guilty to all the charges.

Court officials have refused to confirm speculation the trial will centre on allegations made by the 12-year-old boy.

The boy, now 14 and seriously ill with cancer, claims he was molested after Jackson plied him with so much wine he passed out.

On at least two occasions, the boy's brother alleges, Jackson then touched his young victim " inappropriately" as he lay in a stupor.

The boy, who had been staying at the star's Neverland Ranch in California and was seen in an ITV documentary about Jackson last year, then "started crying and wouldn't answer", the report says.

It says that both brothers also told police that Jackson "once stood in front of them naked for a moment as they watched TV". On another occasion, the alleged victim says, the singer gave him a laptop computer so they could both surf the internet for pictures of naked women.

Meanwhile, a former lover of pianist Liberace claims he had a homosexual affair with Jackson. Scott Thornton told the National Enquirer he first met Jackson in 1979 and later began a relationship that started in London.

Jackson is on $3million bail.