JAMES Safechuck is an actor who accused Michael Jackson of sexually assaulting him as a child.
The actor will be appearing in Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson – the sequel to the controversial documentary film detailing Jackson’s alleged crimes.
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James’ accusations
James claims that he was 10 years old when he was first allegedly abused by Michael Jackson.
The pair met when they worked together on a Pepsi advert, before travelling around the world with the singer.
At the time, Jackson was at the peak of his career and had become a global icon.
James recalled that Jackson was one of the most “caring people” he knew, but insisted that he “sexually abused me for seven years”.
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According to James, he would later meet fellow Jackson accuser Wade Robson on the set of Jackson’s music video Jam in 1992.
Recalling the meeting, Wade said: “I was dancing in the video and James was there with Michael, but we ended up having an interaction – a really nice, friendly interaction and connection.
“We’ve realized we were in similar positions at that point in relation to Michael – there was a new boy there, and we were both kind of on the outskirts of Michael’s attention and love.”
Michael Jackson’s court battles
By this time, Jackson had been involved in several court cases related to child abuse.
In 1993, he was accused of assaulting Jordan Chandler but denied the claims and settled out of court for $23 million.
No charges were filed after a criminal investigation due to a lack of evidence.
In 1996, he paid out $2 million in an out-of-court settlement to the mother of Jason Francia despite never going to court.
In 2005, he was acquitted of several counts of child molestation.
James filed a lawsuit against Jackson in 2014 – a year after Robson filed a $1.5 billion lawsuit against the singer.
However, Safechuck’s case was dismissed in 2017 and Robson’s case was dismissed in 2021.
The controversial Jackson documentary
James became well-known following the release of the 2019 documentary film Leaving Neverland.
The director described the film as “study of the psychology of child sexual abuse, told through two ordinary families”.
Featuring interviews with Wade and Jackson, the film examines the claims made against Jackson.
Leaving Neverland was slammed by Jackson’s estate who branded it a “tabloid character assassination”.
Fans of the singer organised protests against the film.
A rebuttal documentary entitled Neverland Firsthand: Investigating the Michael Jackson Documentary was released in March 2019.
Featuring an interview with Brandi Jackson, the Thriller singer’s niece, it countered Wade’s claims.
Leaving Neverland 2
A sequel to Leaving Neverland will be released on March 18, 2025.
Entitled Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson, the film will follow James and Wade’s 10-year legal journey.
It also will feature exclusive insights at the heart of some of the key Jackson cases.
The programme will air on Channel 4 at 9pm (in the UK) and on HBO (in America).
