The authorities in California have dismissed claims by Michael Jackson that he was badly treated during his arrest on child molestation charges last month.
In a television interview at the weekend, the singer said he had been treated roughly by police, suffered bruises to his arm from handcuffs and was locked in a filthy jail bathroom for 45 minutes.
At a news conference, the Sheriff of Santa Barbara, Jim Anderson, said the arrest procedure had been recorded on video and audio tapes.
He said Jackson's allegations would be independently investigated.
But he also threatened to charge the pop star with making a false report if the claims were unsubstantiated.
