Thank God says Taylor as fans rejoice

Dame Elizabeth Taylor thanked God that her long-time friend Michael Jackson had been acquitted of all charges.

"Maybe now people will leave him alone," she said.

Throughout the sixmonth trial Taylor has proclaimed Jackson's innocence. At one stage it was thought she would take the stand as a witness.

"The press's whole reaction is that he is guilty. I thought the law was 'innocent until proven guilty'. I know he is innocent and I hope they all eat crow," she said.

The singer's ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, said: "I would never have married a paedophile. And the system works."

Uri Geller, psychic to the stars and a good friend of Jackson's, spoke of his relief at the decision.

But he said he felt partly responsible for the 16-week trial, saying he "started all this" by introducing Jackson to journalist Martin Bashir, whose documentary triggered the police investigation.

Mr Geller said he cried when he heard the verdicts.

In London, the head of Jackson's UK-based worldwide fan club said he was "ecstatic". "This is a vindication for Michael but also a vindication for the fans who have stood by him," said Liam Cassidy, of Greenwich. "It's the best result and it's the only result that we should and could have had."

He said the fan club is hoping to organise a victory party in London within the next few weeks. Fans may gather spontaneously in Leicester Square in the coming days, he added.

In California screaming supporters broke down in tears as the jury delivered its verdicts. Within hours the fans had draped posters and banners across the entrance to Jackson's Neverland ranch. One woman released a white dove for every not guilty verdict announced.