BBC2 is said to have dropped songs by Michael Jackson from its playlist following new allegations of child sex abuse brought up in the documentary ‘Leaving Neverland’.
The BBC has not made an official announcement of Jackson songs being dropped but according to radio monitoring reports the last time a Jackson song was played on BBC2 was ‘Rock With You’ on 23 February 2019.
‘Leaving Neverland’ is yet to air in the UK or Australia but early reports portray a revolting life of continuous child abuse, with victims Wade Robson and James Safechuck (now 36 and 40) making allegations that they were groomed by Jackson from age 7 and sexually assaulted by the star through to the age of 14. They go into graphic detail in the film as to what Jackson did to them including claims of masturbation, oral sex and penetration.
The show offers no proof of child abuse other than the word of the two men. It does, however, raise questions about the two mothers who allowed their children to sleep with a grown man. There is no question from the documentary that they were both unfit and irresponsible parents.
Robson and Safechuck testified as adults in court that they were not abused by Jackson. Robson’s testimony was what convinced the jury to file a Not Guilty verdict.
In more recent years Robson would later (unsuccessfully) apply for a job with the Jackson family as a choreographer for the Immortal live shows. When he didn’t get the job he (unsuccessfully) tried to get a publisher to release the story and when that failed sued the Jackson estate (unsuccessfully) over the sex abuse allegations.
Safechuck has also mounted unsuccessful lawsuits against the Jackson estate over child sex abuse. He also once testified that Jackson did not molest him.
Robson and Safechuck hit paydirt with filmmaker Dan Reed. Reed insists they were not paid for their interviews in the film but he has not stated what they stand to make from the sale of the film to TV networks, including Australia’s Network 10.
While the BBC is not acting on any legal proof of the latest Jackson claims, its program department is using caution in its decision to stop playing the music of Jackson.
The extended and unedited version will also be available on-demand on 10 Play and 10 All Access from Friday, 8 March, 2019 at 10:01am.
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