A former security guard at Michael Jackson's Neverland Valley Ranch has testified that security staff at the singer's home were once instructed to make sure that his accuser did not leave the property.
Brian Barron, who worked as a security guard at Neverland from 1997 to 2004, testified yesterday that a notice was posted in the security office of the ranch in 2003, asking staff to keep the boy from leaving.
Barron said: "It simply stated (the boy) is not allowed off the property." He claimed that the notice had been written on a dry-erase board and was displayed there for about a week.
The former security guard said that he understood the notice to mean "that we weren't to allow him off the property without some type of permission."
During cross-examination, Barron conceded that there was a policy at Neverland to ensure that children did not leave the property unattended. He also said that he had never witnessed any criminal behaviour at the ranch.
Mr Jackson's accuser and his family have already claimed at the trial that they were held at the singer's ranch against their will, following the broadcast of the Martin Bashir documentary.
A security log at Neverland confirms that the family visited the ranch several times and often spent the night there.
The singer's defence team will begin to call witnesses soon. It is believed that a number of high-profile celebrities will be amongst those called to testify.
